PM avoids first Commons debate on Iraq since 2004 Prime Minister Tony Blair rejected calls Wednesday to withdraw British soldiers from Iraq by October, then dodged a debate in Parliament in which there was almost unanimous condemnation for the war and little optimism for a U.S. plan to boost troop presence in Baghdad.
Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett suggested that British troops might complete handover of security responsibilities in southern Iraq to the Iraqi government by November. But she said a withdrawal would depend on “conditions and circumstances.” Blair insisted it would be wrong to commit to any date. “For us to set an arbitrary timetable ... would send the most disastrous signal to the people whom we are fighting in Iraq,” he said. “It is a policy that, whatever its superficial attractions may be, is deeply irresponsible.”
To a chorus of criticism, he then departed before the start of the first full debate in the House of Commons on the Iraq war since 2004. Beckett and her junior ministers were left to confront the frustrations of Parliament members dismayed over the chaos in Iraq, frustrated the conflict has hurt Britain's ability to act as a credible broker in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and fearful of a new military engagement in Iran.