GORDON BROWN YESTERDAY CLAIMED IRAQ HAD MADE "enormous progress" over the past few months and singled out the contribution made by UK troops. But despite saying he favoured a troop reduction, he insisted, as he has done before, there are no plans for an "artificial timetable" that would lead to UK troops being brought home.

Brown made his comments during an unannounced visit to Basra in southern Iraq, after holding talks in Baghdad with Iraqi officials and senior US military officials. The prime minister flew by Hercules military transport plane from Baghdad to the main British base at Basra Air Station.

Earlier, he held talks with Iraq's prime minister, Nouri Maliki, and president Jalal Talabani, The visit was Brown's first trip to Iraq since December, and comes ahead of a statement to the Commons this week on Britain's continuing involvement there.

Britain's chief of defence staff, air chief marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, last week said he expected a "substantial change" in the UK mission in Iraq early in 2009, and was "confident" of a reduction in the UK commitment over the next year.

Plans to reduce the British contingent to about 2500 by spring this year were postponed after an increase in fighting around Basra.

Asked yesterday about the immediate prospect for troop withdrawals, the prime minister said he was "not going to give an artificial timetable at the moment."

As well as the talks with the two leading Iraqi politicians, Brown also met the US military chief, general David Petraeus, and the US ambassador, Ryan Crocker.

The talks will have included discussions on four objectives Brown would like to see progress made on. These include the training of local Iraqi army and police forces and the holding of local elections to improve the potential impact of democracy.

The transfer of Basra airport from military to civilian use is also one of Brown's main development aims.

He told UK troops in Basra: "we can complete our work here to bring Basra to democracy, security and prosperity."

Although the numbers of British troops were reduced from 5000 to 4000 between October, 2007, and early April, further reductions look to have been shelved.

Paying tribute to UK forces, Brown said: "I want to congratulate them on their professionalism, on their resilience and on their courage."

On his four objectives, he said they were "the building blocks for the future. It is absolutely essential that we complete these tasks."

Although ruling out a withdrawal timetable, Brown insisted "there has been progress in all these areas" and a "turning point" in the violence in recent months had meant the number of incidents reducing dramatically since he was last in the country.

Brown spent just under an hour at Maliki's offices, speaking to the Iraqi PM alone before being joined by advisers. The meeting was followed by 20 minutes of talks with Talabani.

The prime minister's refusal to offer any timetable for withdrawal may not have pleased some in the Iraqi government. Maliki is said to be keen to see progress made on a scheduled withdrawal before the US presidential elections take place in November.

The UN mandate covering the presence of foreign troops in Iraq also expires at the end of this year. The US is currently negotiating a new bilateral agreement with the Iraqi government.

How this deal is developing, and how it will work beyond the UN remit, is expected to be discussed when Brown returns to Baghdad in the autumn.