Britain to hold Iraq war inquiry later-minister

LONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters) Britain will hold an inquiry into the Iraq war in due course, cabinet minister Jack Straw, who was foreign secretary during the 2003 invasion, said.

''I am perfectly content myself ... to be subject, at an appropriate moment, to an inquiry,'' he said yesterday, adding that went for ''the whole of the government, including the prime minister'', Tony Blair.

Blair defeated an opposition bid in parliament last October to force an inquiry into his handling of the war. Government officials said then that to hold one immediately would damage the morale of British soldiers in Iraq and embolden insurgents.

''We have all made clear there will be an inquiry in due course,'' said Straw, now leader of parliament, a cabinet post.

Britain said on Wednesday it would withdraw almost a quarter of its troops from Iraq in coming months.

William Hague, foreign affairs spokesman for the opposition Conservatives, welcomed Straw's comments.

''It is vital to learn from the many mistakes that have been made. Such an inquiry needs to be established this year, before memories of events in 2002 and 2003 start to fade,'' he said.

But a spokeswoman for Blair said there had been no change in the government's position on an inquiry.

''There will be a time when people will want to look into these issues, but now is not that time, when our troops are deployed on the ground,'' she said.

In a BBC radio interview earlier, Blair was unrepentant about how the occupation of Iraq was handled.

He refused to apologise to Iraqis for the violence in the country, saying extremists and not occupying troops were responsible.

''I think we should be immensely proud of the work we are doing there to try and help Iraq get on its feet,'' said Blair, who acknowledged the situation was ''very grim''.

Blair's popularity at home has been undermined by the war.

He is expected to step down this year after a decade in power.

REUTERS PDS RN0431