UK 'should leave Iraq in a year'

Hundreds of British troops were sent to Iraq this month

Britain and the United States must set a timetable to leave Iraq one year from now, two former foreign secretaries have said.

Robin Cook and Lord Hurd said foreign troops must be pulled out of Iraq by January 2006.

Writing in The Times, they said a prolonged occupation would cause more problems for Iraqis.

Britain has refused to commit to an exit date, while the US said its troops could stay there for another two years.

The longer we remain in Iraq the more our occupation becomes part of the problem ... rather than the solution Robin Cook, Lord Hurd and Sir Menzies Campbell Security tight ahead of poll Basra 'bomb plot' arrests

On Thursday, the Ministry of Defence announced an extra 220 British troops were to be sent to the country.

They would replace Dutch troops who are due to leave in March.

An extra 400 troops went to Iraq earlier in the month to bolster security ahead of Sunday's elections.

Iraq's borders and its main airport were closed on Saturday as part of strict security measures aimed at preventing insurgent attacks aimed at the poll.

In Basra, British troops have arrested several Iraqis suspected of plotting bombings against polling stations and coalition forces.

'Mess'

Mr Cook and Lord Hurd, writing with Liberal Democrats foreign affairs spokesman Sir Menzies Campbell, said Britain and the US cannot ignore the "mess" they have created in Iraq.

But nor can they solve tensions between different groups within the country, they said.

Troops should leave by next year's follow-up elections, the men said

"That political problem of bringing together Shias, Sunnis and Kurds must be for Iraqis to sort out," they wrote.

"Our troops cannot be expected to police relations between the majority and a rejectionist minority. British and American troops are no substitute for a political process."

They said foreign forces could give Iraqis an opportunity to solve those problems by continuing to provide security, but they cannot take that opportunity for them.

They said the presence of British and American troops in the country could not be open-ended.

"The longer we remain in Iraq the more our occupation becomes part of the problem for the security situation rather than the solution.

"The UN mandate expires in a year's time with the completion of the timetable for direct election of a representative government under an agreed constitution.

"Both Britain and America should inform the assembly elected this weekend that we expect to leave by the end of that UN mandate."

BBC political correspondent James Hardy said that with Downing Street believed to be working on an exit strategy, the timetable call would "carry some weight" at Westminster.