Hey, they started out French y'know...

Oh-Oh!

The US "surge" tactic in Iraq appears likely to fail, a committee of MPs warned in a wide-ranging assessment of the Middle East.

A report by the Commons foreign affairs committee delivered a pessimistic verdict on Washington's bid to restore peace by committing 30,000 extra troops.

"It is too early to provide a definitive assessment of the US 'surge' but it does not look likely to succeed," the MPs concluded.

"We believe that the success of this strategy will ultimately ride on whether Iraq's politicians are able to reach agreement on a number of key issues."

It called on the British government to set out what actions it was taking to help foster political reconciliation amid growing pressure to withdraw coalition forces.