Britain moves most Basra consular staff to airport

LONDON, Oct 30 (Reuters) Britain is moving most civilian staff from its consulate in the southern Iraqi city of Basra to the airport because of safety concerns due to the threat of mortar attacks, the foreign office said today.

A spokesman for the foreign office in London said the Consul General and some senior and support staff would stay put in the central Basra headquarters.

''Some of the British civilian presence in Basra is moving from the Basra palace compound to Basra airport,'' he said. ''It's taking place now ... the bulk of the staff will move out.'' Britain has 7,200 troops in southern Iraq, mostly stationed in and around Basra. But the city remains dangerous with Shi'ite factions battling each other for control, and British troops occasionally caught in the middle.

REUTERS SP ND1656