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21/04/2006
Tory MP calls for Iraq withdrawal
A senior Conservative MP has given an interview calling for British troops to be withdrawn from Iraq.
In an article published in the 'Daily Mail', former shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram said that Iraq was now effectively in a state of civil war and that it would be "pointless and dangerous" for UK troops to remain there.
Mr Ancram said: "It is time now for us to get out of Iraq with dignity and honour while we still can.
"We have no place in Iraq in a civil war. We cannot and must not take sides between Sunnis and Shias."
Mr Ancram said that it was hard to see what more British troops could do in the country and warned that, instead of being part of the solution, they were in danger of becoming the problem.
He also said that he had voted for the war in Iraq in 2003 because of the threat of weapons of mass destruction, but admitted that he was wrong.
The Tory MP's comments go against Conservative party policy, which has been that British soldiers should stay in Iraq as long as necessary.
A Conservative spokesperson told the 'Daily Mail' Mr Ancram was "entitled to his views".
(KMcA/GB)
In an article published in the 'Daily Mail', former shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram said that Iraq was now effectively in a state of civil war and that it would be "pointless and dangerous" for UK troops to remain there.
Mr Ancram said: "It is time now for us to get out of Iraq with dignity and honour while we still can.
"We have no place in Iraq in a civil war. We cannot and must not take sides between Sunnis and Shias."
Mr Ancram said that it was hard to see what more British troops could do in the country and warned that, instead of being part of the solution, they were in danger of becoming the problem.
He also said that he had voted for the war in Iraq in 2003 because of the threat of weapons of mass destruction, but admitted that he was wrong.
The Tory MP's comments go against Conservative party policy, which has been that British soldiers should stay in Iraq as long as necessary.
A Conservative spokesperson told the 'Daily Mail' Mr Ancram was "entitled to his views".
(KMcA/GB)
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