Britain said Monday it expected to withdraw thousands of its 7,100 troops from Iraq by the end of 2007, in the clearest pledge yet of a pullout from a country gripped by growing sectarian violence.
Other members of the dwindling US-led coalition echoed those moves as Italy said its 60 to 70 remaining troops would be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of this week and Poland promised to pull its 880 troops out by late next year.
In a key policy speech in London, British Defense Secretary Des Browne said: "I can tell you that by the end of next year, I expect numbers of British forces in Iraq to be significantly lower, by a matter of thousands."
Britain currently has some 7,100 troops deployed in southern Iraq, three years after supporting the 2003 US-led invasion, but like the US administration has faced growing public pressure to withdraw its forces.
In Washington, officials said this month that US military leaders are drawing up plans to embed more military trainers with Iraqi forces in what is shaping up as a last-ditch push to get Iraqis to halt a slide toward civil war.
The United States has about 136,000 military personnel posted around the country.
Browne outlined an accelerated exit strategy in which British troops train Iraqi forces, gradually transfer security responsibilities to them, and pull back forces while keeping rapid response teams ready if needed.
Admitting security was improving faster in some parts than others, he recalled that the army transferred control to Iraqi forces over the summer in Al-Muthanna and Dhi Qar, two of the four provinces in the British sector.
British forces have yet to hand over control in the provinces of Maysan and Basra, which includes the main southern city of Basra, as Browne suggested Iran was behind the security troubles there, but without mentioning it by name.
The problem in Basra, he said, was "rival Shia power blocs" were vying for control over an area that held major economic potential. "Regional powers sense this potential and its importance for the future of Iraq," he added.
Despite the troubles in the two other provinces, he said, Britain and Iraq hope Iraqi forces will be able to assume control over Maysan in January and Basra in the spring.
Meanwhile on Iran, Browne condemned Tehran's behavior in fueling violence in Iraq as "unacceptable" and "counter-productive," calling on Iran to become a constructive partner with the West or face greater isolation.
He warned the Islamic republic against seeing Iraq as a "tool in a wider confrontation" with the international community, which is battling to persuade Tehran to curb its nuclear plans.
"Perhaps the most influential neighbour is Iran, and its behavior remains a cause of deep concern," he said. "It has influence inside Iraq: the power to turn up or turn down the heat, to turn on or turn off the dialogue.
"It is not using that influence well. Support from within Iran goes to groups who are attacking our forces, but also to groups who are simply fueling the sectarian violence," he added.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said he was seeking Iran's "comprehensive" help to stabilize Iraq as he started talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran on Monday.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair recently warned both Iran and Syria that they had a "strategic choice" in the Middle East, between supporting terrorism and partnership with the West.
Syria, on the other hand, "has shown signs of constructive engagement" since Damascus and Baghdad restored diplomatic ties earlier this month and agreed to cooperate on security.
The United States has accused Syria of turning a blind eye to insurgents crossing the border.
Blair blasts Britons over Iraq war