It could be five or 10 years before Iraq becomes a stable democracy, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has said.
Straw told the BBC's Newsnight program late on Wednesday that there was no timetable for the withdrawal of British troops, but he hoped it would take place within "a very limited number of years."
"I am optimistic about Iraq, I think in five to 10 years we will see it becoming stable," Straw said.
"I think if you compare nation-building in other situations after the war in Europe, building up stable nations from the collapse of the Soviet Union, look at Afghanistan, I think that's a reasonable prospect."
Straw said British troops would remain in the country until Iraqi security forces were able to take over.
"There is no date set [for withdrawal] but we all hope it can be completed in a matter of a very limited number of years," he said.
Britain currently has about 8,500 troops in Iraq, based in the south of the country.
In related news, an opinion poll released by the Newsnight program on Wednesday found that a majority of Britons want the country's troops out of Iraq immediately or a firm withdrawal date while 40 percent agree with the government's policy of keeping them there until Iraqis can fully take over security.
The poll found that 40 percent of all Britons agreed with the government's policy of keeping a British military presence until Iraqi security forces were ready to take over, 31 percent thought the troops should leave Iraq now and 23 percent felt that a firm date should be set for the departure of troops.
The other 6 percent said they did not know when the troops should leave.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has repeatedly said that British troops would stay in Iraq as long as they were requested to do so by the Iraqi government
Defense Secretary John Reid told lawmakers in the House of Commons on Monday that a troop rotation next month would see Britain's presence in Iraq cut by about 500, to about 8,000. Reid said two small bases in the southern Iraqi city of Basra would close, but the number of British troops would not change significantly.
The poll also found that 57 percent of Britons felt that committing troops to military action in Iraq was "the wrong thing to do," while 33 percent thought it was a good idea. Ten percent of respondents were undecided on the decision to send troops.
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