Britain's next prime minister, Gordon Brown, assured Iraq's leaders on Monday of continued British support as he made a flying visit to Baghdad to "listen and learn" before he takes office later this month.
Brown, who is pondering Britain's future involvement in a four-year-old war that is hugely unpopular among Britons, noted Tony Blair's acknowledgement that mistakes had been made in the war and said he wanted to "learn the lessons". Critics say post-invasion planning was poor, leading to a security vacuum in which a Sunni Arab insurgency took root and sectarian violence erupted, killing tens of thousands of Iraqis.
Insurgents have begun bombing bridges in their campaign against the country's ruined infrastructure. In the latest attack, a suicide bomber destroyed a major bridge over the Diyala River north of Baghdad on Monday.
It was Brown's first visit since being confirmed as the successor to Blair, whose popularity at home was undermined by his steadfast support for the war. Brown has always accepted responsibility for the cabinet decision to invade Iraq.
The British government fought off pressure again on Monday from opposition politicians calling for an inquiry into the planning for and after the Iraq war. During a parliamentary debate, Conservative foreign affairs spokesman William Hague said public trust and confidence in government had been so damaged by the war that only a full review could restore it.
Brown, who spent about six hours in Iraq, has ruled out an immediate pullout of British troops. He refused again on Monday to be drawn into media speculation that he may speed up the withdrawal to assuage public anger.
"I'm here to listen and learn ... to see what's happening with al Qaeda ... in relation to Iran ... to the sectarian conflicts, to see all the people on the ground and make an assessment of what's happening so I'm better informed," Brown, Britain's finance minister, told reporters travelling with him. His visit comes as the size of the British force in Iraq is being reduced by about 1,500 soldiers to 5,500 troops.
Brown has said he will reduce troop numbers as and when possible, but aides say he is unlikely to make any big sudden shifts in policy as the British military is already planning further cutbacks. Brown, who was accompanied by Defence Minister Des Browne, held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, President Jalal Talabani, the top British general in Iraq, US commander General David Petraeus and the US ambassador. "He made clear to Prime Minister Maliki and President Talabani that British support for the Iraqi government is unchanged," a British embassy spokeswoman said.