Tony Blair played down news that Italian troops are set to be withdrawn from Iraq.

Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was widely reported on Wednesday as having agreed to begin pulling his forces out from September.

Italian public opinion has turned sharply against post-war operations in the Gulf following the death of a secret service agent from American "friendly fire" last week during a hostage rescue operation.

Berlusconi said he was responding to voters' demands.

"I've spoken to [Tony] Blair about this," the Italian prime minister told a television interviewer on Tuesday.

"We've got to construct a precise exit strategy. Public opinion expects it and we shall be talking about it soon."

But the British prime minister insisted that the Italian government's position was "exactly the same as ours".

"We have always said we should leave as soon as possible once the Iraqi forces are in the position where they are capable of dealing with their own security," he said.

Legal advice

In the Commons, Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said a deadline for the withdrawal of UK troops should be set.

He also questioned whether a full legal opinion on the Iraq war had been given to the Cabinet.

Blair refused to comment on whether there was a full legal opinion.

But the prime minister said it was "absurd to keep on suggesting there is some secret opinion of the attorney general that says the war was unlawful".

He went on to say it was a "fantastic development" that democracy is taking root in Iraq.

The prime minister said troops would be withdrawn as soon as possible.

"But we've got to make sure the Iraqi's are capable of looking after their own security before that happens," Blair told MPs.

And he rejected an "arbitrary timetable" for withdrawal. "We should withdraw when the job is done, not before."