Prime Minister Tony Blair, who's being forced by his own party into early retirement, undercut Bush's surge suit by announcing that British troops are getting out of Iraq.
Unlike Bush -- who wants to send more U.S. soldiers to their deaths -- Blair announced that U.K. troops can leave because Iraqi soldiers have made significant progress preparing to defend their own country.
The Iraqis say they're actually pleased that the foreigners are getting the hell out.
UK troop reduction a welcome catalyst, says Iraqi president
Michael Howard, The Guardian
The Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani, today told the Guardian that Tony Blair's statement on phased troop withdrawal in the southern city of Basra was "a welcome catalyst for Iraqi security forces in the south and elsewhere to stand on their own feet".
Mr Talabani said Mr Blair's announcement to the Commons "had not come as a surprise to anyone".
His comments came as Iraq's political leaders, who have been pressing the Bush administration to allow Iraqi forces shoulder more of the security burden in the country, welcomed news of the troop reduction.
The deputy prime minister, Barham Salih said new funds for Basra would be spent "on improving power and water supplies to the city as well as health and sewage and tackling unemployment".
He added that there were also plans to develop Basra's moribund port into the largest and most profitable in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, civic leaders and residents in Basra expressed relief at what they saw as the first step toward the end of the difficult British presence there.
Hakim al-Mayyahi, an influential member of the city's provincial council, said Mr Blair's statement was long overdue.
"Lately, they [the British troops] were not helping the stability of the security situation in Basra," he added. "On the contrary, their constant conflicts with the anti-British groups here was simply contributing to a negative impact among the public."
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