"Saddam Hussein is finished," it quoted junior foreign office minister Mike O'Brien as saying. "The coalition will go home as soon as the Iraqi people have an elected government."

Earlier he had said: Coalition forces hope to leave Iraq as soon as the Iraqis are able to elect a democratic government. We will preserve Iraq's territorial integrity and establish order.

"We want an Iraq which does not threaten its neighbours and does not possess weapons of mass destruction."

The statement also quoted O'Brien as saying, "Our conflict was with Saddam Hussein's regime and not the Iraqi people. We are delivering humanitarian aid and will ensure Muslim holy sites are protected.

"Iraqi oil is being held for the Iraqi people alone. A UN resolution to protect Iraqi oil has already been passed.

"An interim Iraq authority will be set up as soon as possible, which will then enable the Iraqis to frame a new constitution and hold elections."

O'Brien gave no time frame for the process, and there was also no mention of him discussing recent US and British allegations against Damascus with Assad.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, on a tour of the Gulf, said Monday "It's important that Syria recognises there is a new reality now Saddam Hussein has gone."

He said "there are questions which the Syrians need to answer" on their activities and called for undertakings from Damascus not to assist fugitives from Saddam's regime.

In London Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon told a press briefing that Britain feared Syria might use fleeing Iraqi experts to pursue its own interest in developing weapons of mass destruction.

SPACE.WIRE