LONDON, May 30 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair says he hopes for a "very substantial" reduction in British troops in Iraq before the end of next year.
The BBC reported Sunday that Blair will make a decision within a few weeks about whether to send 3,000 extra troops to the region. He said that decision will depend on Iraqi security forces having the capability to police themselves.
Blair says coalition troops in Iraq are currently facing the "worst time" for violence in the days leading to the handover of power to an Iraqi government on June 30.
Blair, interviewed on a BBC program, said the Iraq war has been a "very divisive issue" casting a shadow over his Labor government. But he denied allegations that coalition forces did not have a plan for the aftermath of the war in Iraq.
"I hope very much within the coming months we will see an improvement in security as Iraqis build up their own capability," he said. "I would want, certainly by the end of next year to have a substantial reduction of the British troop commitment."
