Britain may hand over Basra in spring (AP)

LONDON - British forces may hand over security responsibilities in Basra to Iraqi forces by the spring, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said Wednesday. It was the first time that a government minister had set even a vague target for handing over security in Basra, but officials stressed that this was a hope, not a timetable. "We expect Najaf to be the next province to be transferred to Iraqi control in December," Beckett told lawmakers in the House of Commons. "In our own area of responsibility ...