BBC Monitoring Round-Up of Reaction to Tony Blair’s UK Iraq Troop Speech

British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced on 21 February that the UK intends to make a substantial reduction to the numbers of its troops in Iraq. The following is a round-up of official and media reaction available to BBC Monitoring at 1000 on 22 February. Included is Danish press reaction to the Danish prime minister’s announcement that Denmark is to with draw its troops by August 2007.

OFFICIAL REACTION

Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office

“The decrease in the number of British forces in Basra Province has been done in agreement with the Iraqi government… It is in line with the government’s intention to take security responsibility in the province, with the continued need for the help of British forces in time of necessity.”

Basra Police Chief Mahammad al-Musawi

“All indications on the ground point to the handing over of responsibility for security to the Iraqi forces or the readiness of the Iraqi security forces, including the essential Basra police force, to take over responsibility for security.”

Basra security head Hakim al-Mayyahi

“We hope that this time these statements will be true. We hope that they will keep their promises this time and that we are handed responsibility for security quickly, God willing.”

Coalition members

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

“The coalition remains intact and in fact the British still have thousands of soldiers deployed in Iraq, in the south.”

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe

“President Bush sees this as a sign of success and what is possible for us once we help the Iraqis deal with the sectarian violence in Baghdad.”

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

“It is not a withdrawal but a reduction of some troops. I believe the British government made its own decision… As for Japan, nothing has been decided yet at this stage but we will make our own decision independently.” (22)

Australian Prime Minister John Howard

“This has been in the wind, a reduction has been in the wind, and the reason I understand Mr Blair will give is that conditions have stabilized in Basra so that there can be this decision taken. But they will have 5,000 and we will have 550. I don’t think it follows from that that there should be a reduction in our 550. I mean, you’ve got to maintain a critical mass, and to do the job according to our defence advice, you need that.” (21)

Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer

“This makes good sense from the British point of view – to have an over-watch role, to keep of course several thousand troops in Iraq, not to abandon the Iraqis, to ensure that they are continuing to support the Iraqis. But the more we can have the Iraqis responsible for their own security, the better… He is not withdrawing his troops. He is reducing his numbers there, and I think that is because the British want to have more of a programme which is consistent with what our troops are doing in Talil… They’re certainly not withdrawing.” (21)

Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson

“Well, under no circumstances should anybody interpret the British having around 5,000 troops in Basra – 10 times the Australian number, looking after the same number of provinces – as any kind of cut and run. In fact, what this is evidence of is the fact that in the south of Iraq we are making progress and the British are confident enough to reduce their troop numbers to around 5,000.” (21)

Europe

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Denis Simonneau

“Any decision to this effect must, as we have always said, be accompanied by a real, inclusive political dialogue between all of the Iraqi parties, with the support of the countries of the region, with a view to restoring stability to Iraq and enabling it to recover its full sovereignty.” (21)

MEDIA REACTION

Iraq

Iraqi Al-Sharq al-Awsat

Headline: “Britain to curtail its troops in Iraq to 5500 this year, with US insisting Coalition still holding together… Considering withdrawal as “called for”, “sought after” by all Iraqi political factions, Iraqis welcome British decision”

Iraqi Al-Zawraa

Headline: “Iraqis take over security command in Basra as Britain announces drawdown plan.”

Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah

The channel quoted sources as saying that full withdrawal from Basra would “not be in the interest of the Iraqi people or the stability and security in Basra”… “According to the same sources, it will mean that the Iranian-backed militias will regain control and corruption will return to the police service.” (21)

Coalition members

Denmark

Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten

“There is progress in southern Iraq, where British and Danish forces have worked together for several years to maintain security and contribute to reconstruction. It is going so well that the Iraqi government now also wants to take independent responsibility in the two remaining provinces. The positive development enables the shared adjustments which Prime Minister Tony Blair and Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen presented yesterday. The two coalition partners are maintaining their obligations through the combined reduction in forces and change in the division of responsibilities. This is a sign that the sustainability of the emerging democracy is increasing and the adjustments are according to plan.” (22)

Denmark’s Berlingske Tidende

“It is politically convenient for the government to withdraw from Iraq militarily, but the task in southern Iraq has not been completed. We have still to see convincing documentation of the peaceful conditions which are Fogh’s justification for the Danish military leaving. Why not test whether the Iraqis can take greater responsibility while we are still in Iraq?” (22)

Denmark’s Politiken

“Denmark and the Danish soldiers can count themselves lucky that we have a prime minister who is not as stubborn as President Bush. The real explanation is that Anders Fogh would like to be re- elected next time, whereas President Bush cannot stand again. For political reasons the government is adorning reality with unbelievable reasons, symbolical helicopters, consultants and money to keep the Iraqis we have failed away from Denmark’s borders.” (22)

Denmark’s Ekstra Bladet

“It is understandable. Denmark should never have entered the Iraq war, which has developed just as catastrophically as military and political critics said from the start. But when the fiasco is a reality there is no reason for Danish troops to remain in Iraq as an alibi for the Danish parliament’s terrible mistake. The government has taken far too long to bring the Danish troops home. And it is not happening now for the Iraqis’ sake. The decision has been taken exclusively for domestic political reasons. Prime Minister Tony Blair is on the way out. His presumed successor Gordon Brown is set to lose the next election badly. Something has to be done. Things are not quite so bad for Fogh’s government. But the opinion polls are not good and the Danish withdrawal will at least rob the opposition of an obvious point to attack. The truth is that the withdrawal of the Danish troops has one crucial purpose – to save the government. Not the Iraqis.” (22)

Regional

Iranian radio

“In the lead-up to parliamentary elections in Britain, Tony Blair faces a situation in which he cannot support and defend George Bush and his aggressive policies as he has in the past… Of course, if Tony Blair succeeds in his publicity moves in the lead-up to the elections, after the elections, Mr Blair – or whoever else – may develop doubts on this and reconsider and not reduce the troops in this way.” (21)

Iranian Al-Alam TV

“It is certain that good intentions are not what made Tony Blair announce the withdrawal of his troops from southern Iraq. Many see the challenges and pressure faced by the British forces in southern Iraq as the real reason behind this intended withdrawal.” (21)

Egypt’s Al-Jumhuriyah

“UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, with his timeline of the UK troops’ withdraw from Iraq, is trying to abandon the sinking American ship in the Iraqi swamp… Blair, just like Spanish Aznar and Italian Berlusconi who went down because of the destruction of Iraq and the killing of its people, is trying now to withdraw his troops months before he leaves power, in an attempt to make it up for a crime he committed while knowing perfectly well that its justifications were falsified to deceive the international community… The ghosts of hundreds of thousands of the Iraqi massacres’ victims will haunt those responsible for them until the end of the world.” (22)

Jordan’s Al-Dustur

“The British have a bitter experience with the Iraqi people… Therefore, they have learned their lesson after losing more than 100 of their soldiers in Iraq… So will the American president be able to benefit from the same lesson… The British decision may be less important militarily, but in reality, it is a very vital decision in painting the picture of Iraq two years from now.” (22)

Syria’s Tishrin

“The surprising bomb, launched by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair when he announced the start of his troops’ withdrawal from Iraq, has serious meanings and extremely worrying consequences… Some people even went so far as to say that this step is taking place as the countdown for a military strike against Iran has begun… This is mere speculation, but the clear fact is that this withdrawal is definitely the start of the actual defeat in Iraq.” (22)

Middle East Al-Khalij

“Tony Blair is trying to dress up the decision to withdraw his troops from Iraq… The decision to leave Iraq, or decrease the number of troops there, will inflame the anger of those inside or outside America who are against the continuation of the war, and it will add to the US Administration’s troubles internally and will increase its isolation externally… To have the so-called ‘honourable’ withdrawal that Dick Cheney was talking about, the occupation forces have no way out but to eliminate all Iraqis, divide Iraq into small entities and to leave nothing on its land but destruction and devastation.” (22)

Syrian Arab TV

“All Blair’s words are linked to what is called Blair’s legacy… So this announcement comes in the context of Blair’s attempt to regain some of his reputation.” (21)

Saudi-owned Al-Hayat

“The issue is not about whether there is a dispute between Bush and his partner Tony Blair, who announced that he was preparing to “honourably” pull out from Iraq. The problem is that Al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani… have not realized that the countdown to Iraq’s sectarian wars and guillotine deaths has begun, and the occupation will not save anyone.” (22)

Saudi-owned Al-Sharq al-Awsat

“The most significant implication behind Blair’s Iraq pullout is political, not military… Blair understands very well the importance of staying in Iraq… in order to prevent the country from splitting apart… He knows that a defeated exit means an added crisis for the world and not Iraq only… That is why it is a surprise that he insisted on staying in January and than decided to withdraw three weeks later.” (22)

Pan-Arab TV

Al-Jazeera TV quoted observers as saying that Blair’s decision had come in response to pressure at home resulting from the deaths of over 130 British soldiers in Iraq and “several mistakes made”. The channel also noted that the decision had come ahead of political and electoral challenges in the near future. (21)

Al-Alam TV said the decision did not come out of “good intentions” but because of “the challenges and pressure facing British soldiers” in southern Iraq “after Basra has turned into an open battlefield” between the British forces and “those opposed to their presence”… “The decision came as a lifeboat to rescue the British soldiers from the horror of the mortar shells and bombs they face every day.” (21)

Al-Arabiya channel’s correspondent in London also noted the House of Commons’ “welcoming” of the move. He supported the British argument regarding the motive behind the pullout. (21)

Europe

Russian RTR Planeta TV

“The Iraq coalition is falling apart at the seams. The USA’s main ally, the UK, may withdraw all its troops from the region by 2008… Only South Korea, Australia, Poland, 800 Georgians and 600 Romanians are left to give the coalition transatlantic proportions.” (21)

France Inter radio

“Tony Blair wants to do two things before leaving office: first, he wants to start the withdrawal so as not to leave the image of a man who went to Iraq and who left his troops in this mess… moreover, he does not want to leave the impression that he is George W. Bush’s henchman… there is nothing to suggest that the Iraqi authorities are now really in control of the situation on the ground.” (21)

Russian NTV Mir TV

“According to observers, Blair’s statement itself reveals the difficult situation of the coalition as a whole and of the prime minister in particular.” (21)

Slovene news agency STA quoting Dnevnik newspaper

“The generals finally persuaded the politicians that British soldiers on the streets of Basra were not only unnecessary but also increasingly provocative, a part of the problem rather than its solution… British politicians now worry less about the circumstances of the involvement in the Iraqi fiasco than about how to keep at least some dignity in their withdrawal.” (22)

Asia-Pacific

Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post

“Tony Blair’s announcement that many of his country’s troops will soon leave Iraq sends a mixed signal to Iraqis at a time when they need committed foreign help… It smacks of opportunism – an attempt to appease domestic opposition to British involvement in Iraq before he hands over power… The British leader owes his nation a better explanation of his thinking. To simply declare victory and pull out when Iraq is in such trouble would dishonour the men and women who have fought and died there.” (22)

Hong Kong’s Wen Wei Po

“Although the gradual withdrawal of British soldiers will not pose a major threat to the US military, the biggest problem it will bring is the extremely negative impact on the mentality and morale of the US military. That will make the already suffering US military in Iraq even more isolated… Although this has not shaken the century-old alliance between the United States and Britain, Britain’s policy of being unconditionally on the side of the United States in international politics and being tied together with the United States has been amended to some extent.” (22)

Hong Kong’s Ming Pao

“Iraq today has become a mess that nobody dares to touch… The situation may deteriorate further after the gradual withdrawal of US- British coalition forces, and the ones who will suffer will be the Iraqi people… Now these remarks by Tony Blair explain one fact: Britain has paid the price for the suffering it endured in the Iraq war, and now is the time to readjust its foreign policy.” (22)

Sources: as listed

(c) 2007 BBC Monitoring Newsfile. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.