Written question asked by Mike Penning (Conservative) on Tuesday, 1 November 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 3 November 2005. It was answered by Kim Howells (Labour) on Wednesday, 9 November 2005 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iraq

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on negotiations with the Iraqi Government concerning troop withdrawals.

Answer: The UK is committed to Iraq until such time as the Iraqis are able to take responsibility for their own security. Withdrawal of our troops from Iraq will not depend on reaching certain dates or timetables, but on achieving certain conditions.These conditions will be based upon principles outlined by the Iraqi Joint Committee to transfer security responsibility and are based on four broad categories: an assessment of the insurgents' threat level; Iraqi security forces' ability to take on the security task; the capacity of provincial bodies to cope with the changed security environment; and the posture and support available from coalition forces.We will not make significant changes to the UK's force posture in any province in Iraq until we, coalition partners and, in particular, the Iraqis are confident that the conditions set out by the Joint Committee are met.We expect the Committee's recommendations to be confirmed soon. Thereafter, assessments will be made to determine which areas of Iraq are ready to transfer to Iraqi control. While we do not want to be in Iraq any longer than is necessary, we will not be deflected from our task. We have made a commitment to the Iraqi people and it is important that we honour that commitment and see our task through.

Secondary information