There is no "timetable" for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq, Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Monday.
"In Iraq, there is a job to be done and we will continue to do the job and there will be no artificial timetable," Brown said at a news conference he addressed jointly with visiting US President George W. Bush, following a meeting with him at No.10 Downing Street.
"We are making progress with training and with elections... We are moving from combat to overseeing," Brown said.
"Iraqis must take control of their democracy," he added.
Meanwhile, President Bush emphasized that troop withdrawal would depend upon success in Iraq.
"We are withdrawing troops from Iraq... The plan is to bring them home based on success," he said. "We make our decisions in Iraq without an artificial timetable set by politics."
Bush also defended the invasion of Iraq, saying, "the decision to remove Saddam was the right one."
"Removing Saddam Hussein was the right thing to do for peace, security and 25 million Iraqis," Bush declared, "History will judge our tactics."
"A free Iraq will make it easier to deal with the Iranian issue; it will send a signal to reformers and dissidents that a free society is available to them too," he said.
Dismissing reports on differences with Brown over Iraq, Bush said, "I have no problem with how Gordon Brown is dealing with Iraq."
"He's been a good partner," he added.
Brown praised Bush for his "steadfastness and resoluteness" in rooting out terrorism all over the world, calling him "a true friend of Britain".
During their meeting, Brown and Bush discussed issues such as Iran, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Myanmar, and the rising world fuel and food prices.
On Sunday afternoon, Bush arrived in London for a two-day visit to Britain – the last leg of his final tour of Europe before leaving office in January.
Shortly after arriving at Heathrow airport, the US president and First Lady Laura Bush flew by helicopter to Windsor Castle for a 45-minute meeting over tea with Queen Elizabeth II.
Later, the couple attended an informal dinner hosted by Prime Minister Brown at 10, Downing Street.
Even as they dined, about 2,500 protesters gathered at London's Parliament Square to demonstrate against President Bush's "War on Terror".
Chanting slogans of "Bush, terrorist" just about 270 meters from Downing Street, the protesters blew on whistles and beat drums to voice their opposition to the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Twenty-five people were arrested as they tried to breach a police cordon.
Britain had tightened security in view of President Bush's visit.
Earlier Sunday, another group of people rallied at Trafalgar Square to demonstrate against the US prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, where many US-defined terrorist suspects have been jailed for years without trial. Some prisoners there have been subjected to abuse, US media reports say.
(Xinhua News Agency June 17, 2008)
