By James Kirkup Westminster Editor
BRITISH troops could start pulling out of Iraq within months, a senior United States general said yesterday - but only if the country is stable.
Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, the deputy head of US Central Command, which oversees US military efforts in Iraq, said a phased withdrawal would come as part of a co-ordinated move by the US, Britain and other coalition partners.
But Gen Kimmitt insisted that there was no formal "timetable" for withdrawal.
Any reduction in troop numbers in Iraq would be dictated by the ability of Iraqi forces to govern the country alone.
Speculation about a coalition pull-out was triggered by reports in Japan that members of the coalition met in London last month to discuss a timetable for withdrawal. Japan has 550 non-combatant troops in southern Iraq.
Gen Kimmitt appeared on BBC1's Sunday AM show after a newspaper reported that other coalition countries including Britain had a formal schedule for withdrawal.
While the US commander said it was possible that UK forces could start pulling out soon, he said that a withdrawal could only be determined by events in Iraq.
“If the British forces in the south took a look at their situation in those four provinces and determine the security situation is such that they don't need to have the same number of forces in the future, then it is appropriate," he said.
He added: "We can't be seen to be a force of permanent occupation. It is not right for us to stay there permanently. That would defeat the entire purpose of why we are there."
Any withdrawal would be done "as a coalition, not as separate nations," the general said.
In Tokyo on Saturday, a Japanese government official appeared to lend weight to talk of a imminent allied withdrawal. Kyoji Yanagisawa, an aide to the Japanese cabinet, said that Japan's troops in Iraq "will withdraw within several months".
The US has already started to reduce its troop presence in Iraq, taking three infantry divisions out of the country in recent months.
In London, the Ministry of Defence yesterday said that the final decisions remained dependent on the stability of the fledgling Iraqi government.
