] LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged on
] Friday that a post-war Iraq would be run by Iraqis, not
] Britons or Americans and that UK troops would not stay in
] the country any longer than necessary.
]
] His promise came in an open letter to the Iraqi people
] which will be handed out by British troops on the ground,
] posted on Web Sites and sent out by e-mail.
]
] "As soon as Saddam Hussein's regime falls, the work to
] build a new, free and united Iraq will begin," Blair says
] in the letter. "A peaceful, prosperous Iraq which will be
] run by and for the Iraqi people, not by America, not by
] Britain, not by the U.N.
]
] "Our troops will leave as soon as they can," he said.
] "They will not stay a day longer than necessary."