British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Thursday that British troops would stay on in Iraq as long as requested.

"We intend to stay with you for as long as you need us and as long as you want us," Blair said at a joint news conference with visiting Iraqi President Jalal Talabani after talks in Downing Street.

This is Talabani's first official visit to Europe since he took office in April.

Blair said it was important to "stay the course" to help give the Iraqis "the democracy they so self-evidently want."

Problems in Iraq over the last two years had been caused by those "who did not want the democratic process to succeed," Blair said.

Talabani said an early withdrawal of US and British troops would be a "catastrophe," and the multinational troops' presence in Iraq was not the cause of terrorism.

"The continued presence of British and American troops is absolutely vital to us," he said.

"We too want to see an end of the presence of the multinational force, but the actions of the terrorists are keeping them there," he said. "We will set no timetable for the withdrawal of troops. A timetable will only help the terrorists think they can impose their will on us."

At the news conference, Blair also issued a warning to Iran not to interfere with Iraq after claiming it was supplying weapons to Iraqi insurgents.

He said devices which killed British troops looked like those used by Iran, but he stressed "we cannot be sure."

On Wednesday, a senior British official blamed Iran's Revolutionary Guard for supplying lethal explosive technology responsible for killing eight British soldiers in southern Iraq. But Iran denied the allegation, terming it as a "lie."

The talks between the two leaders came ahead of next week's crucial referendum on a new Iraqi Constitution, which will be followed by new elections.

Britain, a staunch US ally on Iraq war, has some 8,500 troops positioned in Iraq, with most of them in the south of the country near Basra.

Source: Xinhua