Troops 'could be replaced'

Troops 'could be replaced'

There are 45,000 UK service personnel in the Gulf

A long conflict in Iraq would lead to UK forces in the region being replaced, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has said.

He said once the conflict moved into a different phase, the 45,000-strong deployment in the region would be reviewed.

But he insisted again that significant progress was being made in Iraq and said defeat was "not possible".

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's The World this Weekend, Mr Hoon said coalition forces faced a "difficult, demanding and dangerous" war.

He said: "We should not believe the observations of armchair generals, commentators, who were suggesting that this was a short campaign.

"I said clearly this was going to be difficult, it was going to take time."

We should not believe the observations of armchair generals, commentators, who were suggesting that this was a short campaign

Geoff Hoon

And he insisted: "I am absolutely confident in the military strategy and indeed in the very significant military success that has already been achieved.

"Within a few days we have coalition forces less than 60 miles away from Baghdad.

"Large parts of the country are now out of the control of Saddam Hussein. We have operations being conducted right across Iraq, operations that are proceeding extremely successfully."

Mr Hoon said troops could stay in the Gulf for months, adding: "I made clear (to the House of Commons) that that was a flexible force, it was designed to achieve certain objectives in a military sense.

"But clearly, ultimately, they would have to be replaced if that was such a long conflict.

"It's always been the case that these kinds of conflicts require certain kinds of armed forces in the initial phase.

"Obviously once we move to a different kind of conflict we can then look at whether we have the right kinds of forces."

'Proxies'

The defence secretary said the UK service personnel already in the Gulf region were sufficient to deal with the conflict, the delivery of humanitarian aid and stabilising the area after the war.

I can't think of anything worse in the present situation than convincing the neighbours of Iraq that they might be the next on the list

Robin Cook

He said reports that his US opposite number, Donald Rumsfeld, had tried to bring Iran and Syria into the conflict were wrong.

Mr Rumsfeld has said armed Iranian "proxies" inside Iraq would be regarded as combatants if they interfered with US forces.

And he said the US government had intelligence that military equipment was being shipped to Iraq from Syria.

Mr Hoon said: "He indicated his concern that particular supplies were apparently crossing the border from Syria into Iraq.

'Alarmed'

"He expressed his concern about the use they might be put to in threatening coalition forces."

But former cabinet minister Robin Cook said he was "deeply alarmed" by Mr Rumsfeld's comments.

He told the same programme: "Donald Rumsfeld has imposed his own neoconservative dogma over generals who were urging him this would not work.

"I was deeply alarmed a couple of days ago when he issued a powerful threat to two of the neighbours of Iraq, Syria and Iran.

"I can't think of anything worse in the present situation than convincing the neighbours of Iraq that they might be the next on the list."

He said the UK should be clear with the US that it would not join any military action against Syria or Iran.