British Prime Minister Tony Blair is hopeful that "timelines" can be set for a withdrawal by the coalition forces from Iraq after Sunday's elections. In a Financial Times interview Wednesday Blair ruled out giving a "firm timetable" for troop withdrawal. "Once the poll is over, we have got to sit down with the new (Iraqi) government and look at how we manage the transition", Blair said. "Timelines" would be agreed that would indicate the pace at which Iraqi forces could take over control. "There are areas where we would be able to hand over to those Iraqi forces. Remember, 14 out of 18 provinces in Iraq are relatively peaceful and stable", Blair said.
