White House, Democrats spar over British troop move

WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) The White House today portrayed a British timetable for beginning to withdraw forces from Iraq as a sign of progress, but Democrats seized on it to pressure President George W Bush to bring US troops home.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a staunch Bush supporter, said 1,600 of its 7,100 troops would return home over the coming months just as the United States is sending 21,500 more troops to try to quell violence in Baghdad and Anbar province.

Britain on Tuesday put Iraqis in command of the main Iraqi army unit in the southern city of Basra.

''I think they believe that in southern Iraq, that Basra region where they've been most active, we have made significant progress,'' Vice President Dick Cheney told ABC News in Japan where he was visiting another key US ally.

Efforts by Democrats in control of Congress to halt the troop increase and withdraw forces would hurt the broader fight against terrorism, Cheney said. The House of Representatives last week passed a symbolic resolution opposing more US soldiers in Iraq.

''It's the wrong course of action. It will do nothing but encourage the terrorists,'' he said of a US withdrawal, according to a transcript provided by ABC News.

Democrats quickly pounced Blair's announcement as support of their position that a political solution is needed rather than sending more troops into the four-year battle, which has claimed the lives of 3,148 American soldiers.

Blair's popularity has plummeted among the British public which is strongly opposed to the war.

''No matter how the White House tries to spin it, the British government has decided to split with President Bush and begin to move their troops out of Iraq,'' said Sen Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat.

''It is long past time for the administration to change course, begin the hard work of diplomacy with Iraq and its neighbors, and redeploy our forces,'' he said.

OPINION POLLS Opinion polls have shown that most Americans oppose sending more troops to Iraq.

A spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized the Bush administration for insisting on more troops when there was broad-based opposition and other countries were drawing down their forces.

''Today's announcement raises the question: why are thousands of additional American troops being sent to Iraq at the same time that British troops are planning to leave?'' said Brendan Daly, spokesman for the California Democrat.

Denmark also announced today it would pull of all its ground troops from Iraq by August while Australia, another Bush backer, said it had no plans to cut its 1,400-strong force in Iraq.

Cheney ridiculed Pelosi and war critic Rep. John Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat, for their opposition to sending more US forces into Iraq.

''I think in fact if we were to do what Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Murtha are suggesting, all we'll do is validate the al Qaeda strategy, the al Qaeda strategy is to break the will of the American people,'' Cheney told ABC News.

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