Iraqi assembly may seek Australian troop withdrawal

CANBERRA - A senior Iraqi official believes the new national assembly may call for Australian troops to be withdrawn.

Iraq will elect a new parliament in mid-December, about five months before a second contingent of Australian troops is due to exit the southern province of Al Muthanna.

The 450 troops are training Iraqi security forces and protecting Japanese engineers involved in humanitarian work.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's spokesman Laith Kubba said he had visited Samawah, where the Australian troops are based, and believed it was now safe.

"Currently the Australian troops are in Samawah," Mr Kubba told ABC radio.

"I visited Samawah. It is one of the safest provinces in Iraq.

"There is actually no need for the troops to be there."

Mr Kubba said it was possible the new assembly would call for a troop withdrawal.

"I would not be surprised at all if the new national assembly would ask troops to withdraw from all city centres and may withdraw totally from some of the provinces in the mid-south, that includes Samawah where the Australian troops are," he said.

But he said some areas of Iraq, particularly on its borders, would still need foreign protection.

"I think Iraq will still need some foreign troops to be kept out of cities but still in Iraq, because currently Iraq does not have the capacity to defend its borders," Mr Kubba said.

"We have too many strong neighbours and a weak army currently."

Defence Minister Robert Hill said yesterday any Australian decision to extend the deployment of Australian troops in southern Iraq would need to be made by February to allow fresh troops time to prepare.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Iraq had not told the government about its views on the future of Australian troops in the country.

"We certainly haven't been informed of those views by the Iraqi prime minister," he told ABC radio.

"But in any case there is to be an election ... on the 15th of December and it'll be for the new Iraqi government, as a result of that election, to make those kinds of judgements."

Iraq will be part of discussions at today's Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) in Adelaide, but the government has said it is not expecting a request to send more troops.

"We all agree that the sooner we can downsize our troop presence there and ultimately leave Iraq the better," Mr Downer said.

"We are staying there in order to provide security so that the democratic processes continue to work and survive in Iraq.

"Our premature withdrawal will lead to the so-called insurgents and the terrorists to plunge Iraq back into, first of all chaos, and then tyranny.

- AAP