Blair Meets US Defense Secretary for Talks on Iraq

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, May 03, 2003

Blair Meets US Defense Secretary for Talks on Iraq

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Visiting US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said Friday in London that it would be "a terrible mistake" to believe that Iraq was secure now even though major combat operations in the war-scarred nation was over.

Rumsfeld made the comment at a news conference with his British counterpart Geoff Hoon after their talks at London Heathrow Airport, where he was flying back to Washington.

The situation in Iraq was still "dangerous," Rumsfeld said. "There are people who are rolling hand grenades into compounds and people who are shooting people and it is not finished."

When asked about how strong a US military presence would be required in the coming weeks and months, Rumsfeld said it was too early to say how long US forces would remain in Iraq and how many troops would be involved.

"We don't know. Indeed, it's not knowable," he said. "What we do know is we'll have as many forces in the country as is necessary to ensure a secure environment."

He also said he was hopeful that the United Nations would have some role in post-war Iraq.

Rumsfeld met British Prime Minister Tony Blair earlier in the day to discuss the issues of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hoon joined the talks at Chequers, the prime minister's country residence near London, where Rumsfeld discussed with Blair a push by Washington for accelerated reconstruction and humanitarian efforts in both Iraq and Afghanistan, some US officials were quoted as saying.

Implications of the rift between the two allies and some European states opposed to the military campaign in Iraq were also high on the agenda of the meeting, reports said.

Rumsfeld's visit came after Bush declared a virtual end to combat in unsettled Iraq on Thursday, six weeks after coalition forces launched military attack against Iraq and toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

While in London, Rumsfeld also held a separate private meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II at his estate near the British capital.

Britain is Rumsfeld's last leg of the tour that has taken him to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rumsfeld made a visit to Baghdad on Wednesday with the aim of discussing with American and British military commanders about post-war reconstruction in Iraq and the move towards setting up an interim government of Iraqis.

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