Iraq (Hansard, 14 October 2003)

§ 3. Mr. George Osborne (Tatton)
When he last discussed the situation in Iraq with the US Secretary of State. [132000]

§ 4. Ross Cranston (Dudley, North)
If he will make a statement on the UN's role in Iraq. [132001]

§ 7. Jim Knight (South Dorset)
If he will make a statement on the numbers and dispositions of troops from countries other than the UK and the USA operational in Iraq. [132004]

§ The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Jack Straw)
I discuss Iraq with Colin Powell almost daily, including this morning. The security situation, especially in Baghdad and the Sunni triangle, remains unsatisfactory, but there has been good progress in many other respects, with ambassador Bremer reporting last week that there are now 40,000 police in post and 400 courts in operation, and that electrical power generation is above the pre-war average. Universities, schools and hospitals are all working, with significant increases in pay for teachers and doctors. In addition, 14,000 km of irrigation canals have now been cleared, and the country has a free press and effective local government in most areas. In addition to the US and UK forces, 16,000 troops from 30 nations, including 11 EU and accession states, are operating on the ground.
On the role of the UN, a new draft Security Council resolution, co-sponsored by the US, Spain, the Cameroons and the UK, was published in New York at 2.30 pm our time. A copy has been placed in the Library and made available to the Opposition Front-Bench spokesmen. The aim of the resolution is to confirm the goal of transferring power to the Iraqis as soon as possible and, among other things, to enhance as far as practical the UN role in the process through a partnership between the coalition, the UN and, in particular, the Iraqis. I very much hope that it will attract support in the Security Council.

§ Mr. Osborne
What the Foreign Secretary says is welcome news, but does he agree that attempts to reconstruct Iraq continue to be overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the decision to go to war? I know that he is a keen student of political diaries, so what does he make of the diary of the former Foreign 7 Secretary, the right hon. Member for Livingston (Mr. Cook), and his claim that the Prime Minister no longer believed by March that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction that he could fire within 45 minutes?

§ Mr. Straw
My right hon. Friend is a man for whom I have very great respect—

§ Mr. David Cameron (Witney)
But—

§ Mr. Straw
But he was simply and completely wrong about that.

§ Ross Cranston
My right hon. Friend knows, as he was intimately involved in its drafting, that UNSCR 1500 conferred a legitimacy on the Iraqi governing council. He also knows that the Arab League has added to and bolstered that legitimacy. He knows, too, that resolution 1500 said that the establishment of the council was a step towards a democratic Iraq. Can my right hon. Friend give the House the benefit of his thinking about the timetable—perhaps the draft resolution says something about it—for, first, the completion of a constitution and, secondly, the holding of elections?

§ Mr. Straw
The draft resolution places responsibility for coming forward with a time scale, for both the drafting of a new constitution and the holding of democratic elections under that constitution, on the governing council working in co-operation with the coalition provisional authority and, as circumstances permit, the special representative of the Secretary-General. The resolution requires that the time scale should be produced by the governing council by 15 December this year. That is a reasonable time scale to expect, and one that should ensure that more rapid progress is made to the achievement both of the constitution and of elections.

§ Jim Knight
Last year, I was able to visit Kabul and see the good work of the international security assistance force—ISAF—in restabilising and rebuilding that city. It is clear that a number of countries, which are not included in the impressive list of those involved in Iraq, have useful skills and experience to offer. Can the Foreign Secretary give us some indication as to whether there is any willingness among nations such as Finland, France and Germany, which have such useful skills, built up in Kabul, in Kosovo and so on, to help out with that important work in Iraq?

§ Mr. Straw
We welcome all nations with the capabilities and commitment to join us on the ground in Iraq and, as I have indicated, 30 have done so already, including 11 EU and accession states. Both France and Germany have made it clear that they will not be putting any troops into Iraq; they could have done so, if they had wished to, under existing resolutions. I am not aware that Finland has proposals to do so, but the 8 resolution—if it is passed—should create an even better climate, in which states that may have been reluctant to provide troops in the past could then do so.

§ Dr. Julian Lewis (New Forest, East)
Does the Foreign Secretary think that it would ever be sensible or practicable for coalition forces in Iraq to hand over power while Saddam Hussein remains at large?

§ Mr. Straw
I do not make that a precondition for transfer of power, nor does the resolution. The precondition for a transfer of power is that there should be an effective, operating sovereign Government in Iraq with security forces at their disposal. One of the good things that has happened in the past six months is the build-up of security forces: there are now 40,000 police officers and many more are in training, and there are at least 20,000 other security officers. Battalions of the Iraqi army are also in training.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell (North-East Fife)
Does the Foreign Secretary agree that any multinational force under unified command, which the current draft resolution envisages, must be answerable to, and obliged to report to, the Security Council? Can he tell the House what objections Her Majesty's Government have to a transition to democracy in Iraq wholly managed by the United Nations?

§ Mr. Straw
The multinational force needs to be authorised by the United Nations and, indeed, that is proposed in the resolution. In any event, the authority for the occupying powers the—United States and the United Kingdom—derives from Security Council resolution 1483. On managing the transition, the simple fact is that the UN has never sought an exclusive role in respect of Iraq; what it seeks is a partnership. The resolution takes account of both the wish of the UN to be more heavily involved and the reluctance of the UN secretariat under Kofi Annan to put too many more of its own officials into the field until they are satisfied about security. Meanwhile, the responsibility has to rest with the governing council and the coalition provisional authority, but working, as the resolution says, in many respects as far as is practicable in other words, at the call of the Secretary-General of the United Nations—with the UN.

§ Mr. Peter Kilfoyle (Liverpool, Walton)
To consolidate support in the House for the initiatives that the Foreign Secretary has adumbrated today, does he not think that it is now time for the Government to apologise for the dodgy dossier, which misled the House on Iraq in the first place?

§ Mr. Straw
No, because that dossier the one published on 24 September last year—has been shown, after very careful scrutiny by the Intelligence and Security Committee, to be accurate in all material respects, as were the contents of the dossier published in February.

§ Mr. Michael Ancram (Devizes)
I welcome the new draft resolution, and I hope that, this time, it will secure the support of the Security Council, including from France.
9 On a slightly different matter, has the Foreign Secretary discussed with Secretary Powell the information on the basis of which the Prime Minister told the Liaison Committee on 8 July that he had absolutely no doubt that we will find evidence of weapons of mass destruction programmes"— later explained by his official spokesman as including concrete evidence of the product of these programmes as well". Where is that evidence, which has apparently so far eluded the international survey group? Or should we put as much faith in the Prime Minister's assertions on weapons of mass destruction as in his now totally discredited assertion—as we learned—yesterday that he had nothing to do with the naming of Dr. Kelly?

§ Mr. Straw
I think that that is one of the more incredible observations that I have heard from those on the Conservative Front Bench, given their position on 18 March. I think I am going to buy the right hon. Gentleman a pair of open sandals and a false beard, and he can join the Liberal Democrats.

§ Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley)
I want to pay tribute to the chief police adviser in Iraq, who is British, and the role being played by Britain in retraining the Iraqi police. The visible evidence of police on the streets of places such as Baghdad sends a very important signal to the Iraqi people, but at the same time the chief police adviser says that he cannot continue to operate unless he gets more personnel. When does my right hon. Friend intend to strengthen the number of British advisers and support staff for that post?

§ Mr. Straw
When I saw the report this morning in respect of the comments by Deputy Chief Constable White, I asked for them to be investigated, and I am still pursuing that. Meanwhile, I can tell my hon. Friend that I understand that, from this week, DCC White will be supported in his work by six Ministry of Defence police officers. However, my investigations into his anxieties continue, and I will place before the House the results of those inquiries and write to my hon. Friend about them.

§ Mr. Douglas Hogg (Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Will the Foreign Secretary tell the House his best estimate of the cost of the United Kingdom involvement in Iraq, by which I mean incurred cost, promised costs and anticipated costs? Can we have a total figure? If the Foreign Secretary does not have one to hand, a letter put in the Library would be most helpful.

§ Mr. Straw
I have not got the figure to hand, but I will do better than asked: I will publish a written ministerial statement on the record. I was very pleased to announce yesterday that we will make available a further €550 million at the forthcoming donors' conference in Madrid at the end of next week.