No10 stays firm on date for handover

Downing Street today rejected calls by the Conservatives to consider postponing the handover of power in Iraq because of the security crisis.

But in a possible sign that Tony Blair is worried about American handling of the situation, his spokesman refused to say whether he backed recent clampdowns using helicopter gunships.

No10 insisted Mr Blair supported the US-led "strategy" for handing democracy to Iraq by 30 June. But it was more cautious on the gunship attacks on insurgents hiding in mosques, saying: "These are decisions taken on the ground by the American military."

Earlier, shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram said the 30 June deadline should not be "set in stone". He urged Mr Blair to persuade US President George Bush, when they meet on Friday, to give the United Nations a bigger role in running Iraq.

Meanwhile, Prince Hassan of Jordan warned that sending more US troops to Iraq could bring "a spiral of violence". He said: "Occupation breeds resistance and resistance provokes the extreme violence of the occupiers."