Brown to delay Iraq troops decision

Brown to delay Iraq troops decision
By Jean Eaglesham at Camp David and Edward Luce in Washington
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
Published: July 30 2007 20:47 | Last updated: July 30 2007 20:47


Gordon Brown put President George W Bush on two months’ notice that all British troops could be pulled from combat duties in Iraq. But the prime minister agreed to delay the decision until after the crucial General David Petreus report on US military strategy in September.

At his first prime ministerial summit with Mr Bush, Mr Brown announced that he would make a statement to MPs in October on troop deployment in Iraq. Aides said later the Petraeus report would be a factor in this decision, as well as the views of commanders on the ground. The UK wants to move troops back to barracks in Basra – the only Iraqi province where British forces are still in a combat role – as soon as possible.

Transatlantic tensions over Iraq were evident at the two leaders’ first joint press conference, although both tried to stress unity. Mr Brown, who is fully aware that Iraq was a political disaster for his predecessor, emphasised the “progress” being made in the British-controlled provinces. He described Afghanistan, not Iraq, as the “frontline against terrorism”.

Mr Bush, by contrast, told reporters: “There is no doubt in my mind that Gordon Brown understands that failure in Iraq would be a disaster for both our countries.”

The president admitted that critics had questioned, in the wake of his close relationship with Tony Blair, whether he would be able to “get along” with the new prime minister. “The answer is absolutely,” he said.

He portrayed Mr Brown in glowing terms that may play better in the US than the UK. The prime minister is a “glass half full man, not a glass half empty kind of guy”, a “humorous Scotsman” who “gets it”, in terms of the battle against terrorism. Mr Brown did not reciprocate with any praise for the president.

The contrast between Mr Blair and Mr Brown was readily apparent to observers in the US. Many commented on Mr Brown’s gravity.

“They looked like they had both just come out of church and listened to a sermon with which they’d particularly agreed,” said Reginald Dale, a senior fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “But most Americans will have appreciated Brown’s seriousness of tone and the fact that he clearly has a moral streak.”

Both leaders were set on denying any impression their relationship would not be as close and harmonious as the Bush-Blair partnership. Mr Bush even said the US-UK relationship was “our most important bilateral relationship”. The usual formula is to say “there is no more important relationship” than that between the US and Britain – a form of words that can include other partners.