British Foreign Minister arrives in Iraq for talks with officials

Iraq MapBaghdad- British Foreign Minister David Miliband arrived in Baghdad on Thursday for talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other Iraqi officials as Britain's military prepares to withdraw completely from Iraq.

A source in the Iraqi government, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that Miliband is to discuss the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq, the training and logistics that these troops perform, as well as rebuilding initiatives.

Britain, the main US ally in the invasion of Iraq in 2003, is to withdraw all its troops from the country by mid-2009. Some 4,100 British troops are stationed in Iraq, the second largest contingent after US troops.

Miliband's visit is his second to Iraq. The duration of his visit was not announced for security reasons.

British forces, at the beginning of January, handed over the Basra International Airport to Iraqi authorities. (dpa)

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