London: Oil prices slipped on April 14 as traders took the fall of Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit as a sign that the war in Iraq might be drawing to a close and that the country's oil could soon flow again.

Reference Brent North Sea crude for May delivery fell 26 cents to $ 24.89 a barrel in early deals in London.

New York's benchmark light sweet crude contract for May delivery dipped 45 cents a barrel to $ 27.69 in out-of-hours electronic trading.

US forces on April 14 were in control of the centre of Tikrit, where fighting fell well short of the feared last stand by Saddam's die-hard supporters.

The seizure of the largely deserted city appeared to mark the last major military engagement of the 26-day-old war.

"In general, people see that things went well regarding the end of the war in Iraq over the weekend, and this should put long-term pressure on crude prices, especially with the prospect of Iraqi crude being seen back into the market," said a trader.