Iraq's Prime Minister Ibrahim al- Jaafari expressed hope on Tuesday that Iraqis can decide the date of the withdrawal of US-led multinational forces while the country's electoral committee sounded an upbeat note on the turnout of the upcoming polls.

Taking questions from lawmakers, Jaafari said he has told leaders of the United States and Britain that "we don't want to be surprised by a decision (on foreign troops' withdrawal)."

Jaafari said the timetable of withdrawal should be set by the Iraqi government rather than terrorists, "because if the foreign troops withdraw suddenly, we may be ill-prepared for meeting our security demands."

Jaafari was in response to parliamentarians demand for a timetable of pullout of foreign forces and criticism of the government's asking the UN Security Council for a one-year extension for the staying of foreign troops in Iraq.

Media reports earlier this week quoted a leaked British government memo as saying that London and Washington planned to cut the size of their troops in Iraq within a year.

Meanwhile, an Iraqi electoral official expressed optimism about mass participation in constitutional referendum and general elections later this year.

Farid Ayar, a member of Iraq's Higher Independent Committee for Elections, told Xinhua that some 14 million Iraqis are expected to take part in the referendum due on Oct. 15 and the following general elections slated for Dec. 15. Iraq has a total of 26 million population.

The committee had held six meetings with election experts from the United Nations in a bid to make the two ballots a success.

In a step to consolidate the Iraq-Egypt ties after the assassination of Egypt's top envoy to Baghdad, Ihab el-Sharif, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani sent Iraqi ambassador Safia al- Seheil back to Egypt with a letter from Talabani to his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak.

Seheil is also carrying a letter from Talabani to the family of the slain Egyptian diplomat.

Seheil condemned the "evil" killing of el-Sharif, saying it is now clear that the terrorism is targeting humanity.

Iraqi govrnment has denied allegation that el-Sharif has had contact with insurgent groups in Iraq.

Egypt has reduced its diplomats in Baghdad in the aftermath of the slaying of el-Sharif last Thursday, five days after kidnapped by Iraq's al-Qaida wing.

Source: Xinhua