Reports in the British media Sunday suggested London and Washington had drawn up a detailed plan for military disengagement from Iraq, to be presented to the Iraqi parliament next month. The Observer newspaper reported Japan had been privately informed that British troops would begin to leave southern Iraq in May, a move that officials in Tokyo said would make the continued presence of their own 550 soldiers impossible.

The newspaper quoted Defense Secretary John Reid as saying though the agreement being drawn up was contingent upon political progress, he was optimistic British troops would begin to leave Iraq by early summer.

"The two things I want to insist about the timetable is that it is not an event but a process, and that it will be a process that takes place at different speeds in different parts of the country. I have said before that I believe that it could begin in some parts of the country as early as next July. It is not a deadline, but it is where we might be and I honestly still believe we could have the conditions to begin handover. I don't see any reason to change my view.

"But if circumstances change I have no shame in revising my estimates."

However Reid later dismissed the story, saying he had made it absolutely clear that Britain would stay in Iraq "until the job is done, and the job will be done when the Iraqis are able to lead their own security against terrorism."

"That will be a process, not an event, and that process could start in the course of the next year."

Prime Minister Tony Blair also dampened the hopes of those calling for a pullout, telling the BBC there was no "arbitrary date being set" for withdrawing troops. Blair acknowledged he had underestimated the strength of the insurgency, but insisted his strategy was still right.

"I didn't expect quite the same ferocity from every single element in the Middle East that came in and was doing their best to disrupt the political process," he said. "But I have absolutely no doubt as to what we should do. We should stick with it."

Meanwhile the Ministry of Defense said Monday it did not have "an enormous amount of truck" with the Observer story, which seemed to be based less on fact than wishful thinking.

An MoD official told United Press International there had been no change in Britain's strategy in Iraq, and reports resulted from certain members of staff making rough guesses under media pressure.

However a well-placed source in the Foreign Office said a report soon to be published by the joint Iraqi-multinational committee responsible for the transfer of responsibilities may detail which provinces British troops could soon withdraw from.

While the security situation in areas such as Basra and Baghdad would not allow withdrawal, he told UPI, there were some provinces in which it was "relatively pointless us being there."

There was a "dear and deeply held desire" from prime ministerial level downwards to get British troops out of Iraq as soon as possible, the official said. It did not make any sense at all for Britain to be sinking money "willy-nilly" into the country, he continued.

However if the government simply pandered to the first desire to leave, it was likely that the situation in the conflicted country would deteriorate, while "a few extra months now" would save trouble in the long run.

The process was dependent on the security situation, he insisted; however the government was hopeful conditions might start to be met during the first half of next year.

Blair has been under increased pressure to begin withdrawing troops since the apparent breakdown in relations between British troops and Iraqi authorities in Basra came to light last week.

Violence broke out in the city when British forces tried to rescue two special forces soldiers who had been arrested by police. Rioters attacked troops and set their armored vehicles alight, forcing them to withdraw; however a later raid on a house in Basra was successful. The MoD later said the two men had been handed over to Shiite militia.

Basra governor Mohammed al-Waili said he would not cooperate with British troops until he had received an apology and compensation for the raid. An Iraqi judge has since issued an arrest warrant for the two rescued soldiers; however Reid said the men would not be handed over.

The unrest sparked a torrent of calls for withdrawal, while some 10,000 people marched on London Saturday in protest at Britain's continued presence in the beleaguered nation. Sir Jeremy Greenstock, formerly Blair's envoy to Iraq, warned Britain might be forced out if the situation became so chaotic there was "no reasonable prospect" of holding it together.

Blair received a boost when grassroots activists were defeated in a bid to hold a special debate on the crisis at Labor's annual conference in Brighton this week. However concerns are likely to be expressed during a foreign policy debate on Wednesday; the prime minister is also under pressure to deliver a convincing argument against withdrawal when he addresses conference delegates Tuesday.

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