PERTH, Australia, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Australia has no plans to follow Britain and begin withdrawing troops from Iraq.
Howard said he had "been aware for some time that the British were going to bring about a reduction."
He was commenting on reports from Washington and London that, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has told U.S. President George W. Bush that Britain will withdraw more than 1,000 troops from Iraq "within weeks" and a total of 3,000 by the end of the year.
Howard said Blair's decision had to be kept in perspective.
"I don't think it follows that there should be a reduction in our troops", he said. "There will still be a British force of around 5,000 in southern Iraq -- 10 times the size of the Australian force."
Australia has some 1,400 troops serving in the Middle East and its commitment to the coalition in Iraq will be discussed by Howard and U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, who is to arrive in Australia Thursday.
