Petraeus in Iraq Talks at No 10

After facing a battery of hostile senators last week, General David Petraeus can expect a friendlier welcome from Gordon Brown at No 10 Downing Street today.

But there is still unease. America's top commander in Iraq and its ambassador there, Ryan Crocker, are holding talks with the prime minister amid reported tension over the UK's decision to withdraw from the centre of Basra to the southern Iraqi city's airport, ahead of a more general troop reduction.

In an interview last week, Britain's army commander said political pressure from the US delayed the British withdrawal from the city for five months. Britain could have left Basra palace as early as April, but the Americans insisted British forces stay on, the Daily Telegraph quoted Brigadier James Bashall as saying.

The clearest sign of US frustration with Britain's decision came last month when General Jack Keane, the architect of the US "surge", said the British were more focused on training Iraqi troops than controlling "deteriorating" security.

Mr Brown has insisted that Britain will "discharge its duties" and that UK policy is in line with the US. But the prime minister has also stressed that "conditions on the ground" will dictate Britain's decisions on the future size and strength of its contingent.

The prime minister and George Bush held a lengthy video conference on the issue last week, with the talks described as "very cordial and constructive".

Britain has around 5,500 troops in Iraq, all now based at Basra airport, and Mr Brown is expected to outline his strategy to MPs when parliament returns next month.

Gen Petraeus and Mr Crocker are in London after two days of grueling testimony on Capitol Hill, where their upbeat assessment of the "surge" was met with skepticism by several Democratic presidential hopefuls, including the senators Joseph Biden and Barack Obama.

Mr Bush quickly accepted Gen Petraeus's recommendation of a troop reduction, bringing home 30,000 troops by next summer but leaving 130,000 in Iraq for the foreseeable future.

Following Mr Bush's decision, Mr Brown said: "Like America, Britain will discharge our duties to the Iraqi people, to our allies and to the international community. Decisions on the future size and strength of our forces on the ground in Iraq will continue to depend on conditions on the ground."

The Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Menzies Campbell, has urged Mr Brown to tell the US that all British troops will be pulled out. "The PM should tell Gen Petraeus that Britain has fulfilled its moral obligation to Iraq and that our continued presence neither meets military purposes nor political objectives," he said.