Australia has no plans for setting a timeline for the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq, Defense Minister Brendan Nelson said Thursday. Nelson spoke after British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett on Wednesday became her government's first minister to set even a vague target for handing over security in Basra to Iraqi security forces. Beckett said she was confident the transition could take place by spring but officials stressed that this was a hope, not a timetable.
"We are not setting any specific timeline," Nelson told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. "Our plan for the next year is to move for regional provincial Iraqi control for the south of Iraq. We will expect to have a continued presence through much of next year in the south of Iraq."
Australia's 1,400 personnel in Iraq include 500 troops in the Overwatch Battle Group, which provide backup support for Iraqi forces responsible for security in the southern provinces of Muthanna and Dhi Qar.
Nelson said he expected there would be a continuing need for coalition support in southern Iraq, particularly in training of Iraqi forces. "If for some reason we were to change our role as we have done over the last six months ... we would expect even more emphasis on training," Nelson said. "At this stage we have no intention at all of reducing our troop numbers although we may, depending on circumstances next year, alter the role."