In a dispatch from the Iraqi capital ahead of Thursday's parliamentary elections, it said British and US officials view the end of Iraq's transitional period as the "green light" to begin withdrawing troops as early as next March.

"One of the first things we will talk about (with the new Iraqi government) is the phased transfer of security, particularly in cities and provinces," it quoted a senior Western diplomat in Baghdad as saying.

"It will happen progressively over the next year."

The United States has more than 160,000 troops in central and northern Iraq, while Britain has about 8,000 in four southern provinces. The two nations invaded in March 2003 to overthrow Saddam Hussein's dictatorship.

The Times said "contingency plans" were in place for British units in Dhiqar and Muthana provinces to go as early as spring 2006, followed by those in the most restive province of Misan.

The United States is meanwhile "planning to pull out 30,000 (troops) by the New Year" and reduce their presence to below 100,000 personnel "in the coming months," it said, without giving a source.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told The Times that a hasty withdrawal could hurl his country into more violence.

In opinion poll majority of Iraqis are opposed to the presence of US forces in their country and view negatively the US-led invasion, but a large percentage are nonetheless optimistic about the future.

The poll released Monday, conducted by ABC News, Time Magazine and other media outlets, showed that 65 percent of the 1,711 Iraqis questioned are opposed to the presence of US troops in Iraq and nearly half would like to see American forces leave soon.

However, 76 percent expressed confidence that this week's elections in Iraq will produce a stable government and 42 percent are very confident of it.

The poll also showed that 59 percent believe US and coalition forces have done a bad job in the country since the 2003 invasion against 36 percent who feel they have done a good job.

In violence a leading Sunni Muslim Arab politician was shot dead in Iraq yesterday just two days before the nation votes for a new parliament.

Mizhar al-Dulaimi, head of the Free Progressive Iraqi Party, was killed while campaigning in the center of Ramadi, capital of the restive Anbar province in western Iraq, police said. Three of his bodyguards were wounded.

A well-known Sunni Arab, Dulaimi had appeared on television the previous night, urging Iraqis to vote.

Many Sunni Arabs are standing in Thursday's poll after largely boycotting the January 30 election for an interim assembly.