LONDON, Sept. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- A latest survey indicates that more than half of British people want the country to set a timetable for pulling troops out of Iraq despite worsening security situation.

    The survey, published by Monday's Guardian newspaper, also shows the public's rising dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Tony Blair's leadership. Only 41 percent of voters are persuaded by the prime minister's argument that troops have a duty to remain in the country until things improve.

    The poll, conducted by ICM, a market research company on over 1,000 adults after last week's attack on British troops in Basra, shows that a majority of 64 percent believe the situation in the country is worsening despite the presence of British forces. Just 12 percent share Blair's belief that British troops are actually helping to improve the security situation.

    Support for Britain's presence in Iraq is dropping in the wake of repeated attacks on coalition forces and the growing prospect of civil war in the country. At the start of this year, the ICM found 38 percent of voters believed the war against Iraq was justified, with 47 percent arguing that it was not.

    Blair argued on Sunday that no arbitrary date should be set for withdrawal. "I have absolutely no doubt as to what we should do. We should stick with it," he told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in an interview.

    Blair insisted he will not withdraw British troops from Iraq until the country's emerging democracy and its armed forces are strong enough to handle on its own, although he admitted that the "ferocity" of recent attacks had caught him by surprise.

    Defense Secretary John Reid also denied British troops would begin a withdrawal from Iraq next May as reported by some British media.

    The poll also indicated that the support for the prime ministerin the wake of the London bombings in early July is fading fast. People are dissatisfied with him because they believe he is devoting too much time to international issues. Enditem