Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Wednesday confirmed to the visiting British Defense Secretary Des Browne that the Iraqi security forces are ready to take over security responsibility of the southern province of Basra from the British forces.

"Our forces are ready to face challenges and hunt down armed groups and terrorists," a statement from Maliki's office quoted him as saying.

The British troops, which now stand at about 5,500, are largely deployed around an airport in Basra, some 550 km south of Baghdad, which is the second largest city in Iraq and a major hub for Iraq's oil industry.

Maliki also pledged that "the national reconciliation project will continue despite difficulties and obstacles made by some people."

For his part, Browne asserted his country's support to the Iraqi government and its desire to continue cooperation to achieve security and stability in the country, mainly in Basra, according to the statement.

"We will cooperate in achieving security and stability in Iraq and especially in Basra which is witnessing progress," Browne was quoted as saying.

According to media reports, a British military spokesman in southern Iraq said that Browne, who arrived in Basra late on Tuesday, discussed with the British Commander in southern Iraq, Major-General Jonathan Shaw, the handover of the security in Basra to Iraqis.

On Monday, during a celebration of security handover of the holy Shiite city of Karbala, 110 km south of Baghdad, Maliki promised that the security of Basra would also be handed over to Iraqis by mid December.

"Today is Karbala and in mid December there will be Basra, and so on. Our march will carry on escalating by the determination of our armed and security forces," Maliki said.

So far, only eight of Iraq's 18 provinces have been transferred to Iraqi security forces from the Multi National Forces. They are Karbala, Maysan, Muthanna, Dhi Qar and Najaf in the central and southern Iraq, along with the three northern Kurdish provinces of Arbil, Duhuk and Sulaimaniyah.

(Xinhua News Agency November 1, 2007)