British policy on Iraq 'unchanged'

British officials have denied reports that a policy change on Iraq is planned.

An article in a British newspaper the Guardian suggested that Britain would propose to the incoming administration in the United States of George W.

Bush that the bombing of targets in southern Iraq should end.

However government spokesmen said it was wrong to suggest that any change of policy had taken place or that Britain intended to pull out of the air exclusion zone in southern Iraq. However they did acknowledge that Britain was always looking at ways of developing its policy on Iraq. The air exclusion zones were imposed after the Gulf War to protect Shi'ites in the south and Kurds in the north from possible attack by government forces, but are not backed by United Nations Security Council resolutions.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service