Baghdad 'ready to take over in two years'

Iraqi forces are expected to become fully responsible for security in Iraq in two years, even though it could take up to a decade to curb militias, a senior British official has predicted.

"It is perfectly credible to think in a two-year timescale that we could get to a position where essentially the Iraqis are totally responsible for all the security in Iraq," the official said yesterday. But he added: "It could be longer, it could be quicker."

He said he was not laying down a timetable for withdrawal of the 8,000 British troops, which is to take place in co-ordination with the Iraqi government, depending on the security conditions in the country.

But Britain still plans to hand over two southern provinces to Iraqi forces - Muthanna and Meysan - this summer, once the conditions are met.

The first sovereign Iraqi government is still being formed six months after parliamentary elections produced a victory for the Shia majority, who have now been persuaded to form a national unity government with the Kurds and Sunnis in the hope of avoiding civil war.

The breakthrough came with the appointment as Prime Minister of Jawad al Maliki, who is to replace the Iranian-backed Ibrahim Jaafari, and it is thought that the full government could be agreed by mid-May. But dealing with security issues - purging the country of private militia and reining in the largely Sunni insurgency - remains a daunting task.

"It is going to take a long time. I think it is a five- to ten-year timeframe before there are few armed groups with any influence," the official said.

He confirmed that British authorities were in indirect contact with the insurgents in an attempt to persuade them that a genuine political process is now under way, at a time when the country is increasingly divided along sectarian lines.