"A ceasefire is a decision, and the decision will occur when we believe conditions have been set on the battlefield and also when we have political instructions from our leaders," Brigadier General Vincent Brooks said at Central Command's war base in Qatar.

"We note there is still work to be done, there are places where the regime does have control," Brooks said at a news conference.

He stressed that Iraqi forces did not need a ceasefire to surrender and that "those who choose to lay down their arms will be welcome to do so and will have made a very good choice for themselves and for Iraq," he said.

In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned that the war was "not over yet" and that there was "still intense resistance ... among those parts of Saddam's regime that want to cling on to power."

SPACE.WIRE