Troops in Iraq: Set for push against insurgents?

The foreign secretary has attempted to ease the fears of Labour backbenchers over the impact of a possible redeployment of British troops in Iraq.

Speaking on Tuesday Jack Straw indicated the deployment to areas near Baghdad was likely to go ahead, saying the government was "extremely sympathetic" to the American request.

A Commons statement on Monday from defence secretary Geoff Hoon had prompted a wave of anger from Labour MPs, some of whom feared the move was a bid to boost the re-election prospects of President Bush.

But at a press conference with United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan, Straw sought to assuage their fears saying he could "understand the concerns".

"And I think the concern is as to whether there is so-called 'mission creep', whether we will be there for longer than anticipated," he said.

"What I'd say by way of reassurance is that... we are not proposing to increase the total number of troops which would be in Iraq, nor are we extending the normal tour of duty of this particular unit."

He added that "the purpose of these military movements is to stabilise the security situation as quickly as possible so that we create a more satisfactory security environment".

Straw said that improved security would allow Iraqi elections to proceed as planned by the end of January.

"In turn the Iraq's can start more quickly to take full and effective control of their country and the result of that is we are able to leave the country, our troops, sooner rather than later," he added.

Assessment

The comments came as a British reconnaissance unit was preparing to visit the area near Baghdad where American forces have requested extra support form the UK.

It is expected that their report will enable army chiefs to make a recommendation on the deployment by the middle of this week.

But Downing Street refused to put a timescale on the decision.

"It has to be thoroughly investigated, then we will see what happens," the prime minister's spokesman said.

"The important thing is that you have to listen to the military advice... in the light of our wider goal in Iraq which is to stabilise the security situation and hold elections."

"Let us see what the assessment is on the ground," he added.

United Nations

After Tuesday's talks in London Annan, a critic of the war, declined to comment on the possible troop movements but backed moves to increase security in the country.

"What we are interested in is to see successful efforts to create a secure environment that will allow all the essential things we want to do for the Iraqis to go on, because without a secure environment you cannot have effective reconstruction," he told journalists.

"Efforts to pacify the environment would be extremely helpful."

With the lack of security threatening to undermine plans for democratic elections, Straw said the UN had helped to ensure the process was now "well organised".

"In terms of administrative arrangements these are on course, but of course the key issue there is that of security and ensuring a security environment in which the elections can take place satisfactorily, and we discussed that," the foreign secretary added.

"The people of Iraq have waited for a long time to be able to elect their leaders, we are determined that they should be able to do so."