Britain's Iraq presence to shrink

BAGHDAD, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- British Defense Minister John Hutton said his country's troop presence in Iraq will shrink.

Hutton said Britain and Iraq agreed Sunday to start negotiations on an accord to enable British forces to stay in the country beyond the end of 2008, but with the number of troops reduced from 4,100 to several hundred, The Sunday Times of London reported.

The announcement was made after Hutton met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on his first trip to Baghdad. The British accord will be based on a similar pending agreement between Iraq and the United States on the status of U.S. troops in the war-torn country.

"We have started that today and I hope we can reach an agreement as soon as possible," Hutton was quoted as saying. "It is very, very important that we get this agreement reached and I am absolutely confident that we will do that."

The U.S. and British accords are designed to replace a United Nations Security Council mandate authorizing the presence of foreign forces in Iraq. The U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year.