§ The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Geoffrey Hoon)United Kingdom forces continue to make good progress in helping Iraq become a stable and united state.
The vast majority of Iraqis welcomed the fall of the Saddam regime. The newly formed Governing Council has given Iraqis a representative voice after decades of oppression. The Coalition will work with the Governing Council to rebuild Iraq. It will hand over to an elected government as soon as possible. The UK is playing a major role, and has seconded experts to work in the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad in a wide range of fields: political, financial, legal, security, health, education, roads, forensics, war crimes, prisons, culture and communications. We are also assisting in the training of a new Iraqi Army and the Iraqi police.
Since the collapse of the former regime, and the announcement of the end of decisive combat operations on 1 May, the Coalition's main effort has been directed towards establishing a safe and secure Iraq. Security is an essential part of the political and economic rehabilitation of the country, and Coalition stabilisation operations continue. Those who violently oppose the Coalition represent a desperate minority. In the south, UK forces have developed close links with local communities, and have helped to improve the availability of water, food, power and medical supplies, which had previously been used as a means of control by Saddam Hussein. Iraqis are making the most of their new freedoms. However, the security environment remains difficult in places, particularly in Baghdad and the surrounding area. We are assisting our Coalition allies in a number of ways, including sharing British expertise in urban operations, derived from many years experience in Northern Ireland and the Balkans.
The roulement of UK forces set out in my Written Statement of 11 June 2003, Official Report, columns 51–52WS. continues. Today, about 11,000 UK servicemen and women drawn from all three Services 35WS remain in the Gulf region and Iraq. The deployment of 3 (UK) Division, 19 Mechanised Brigade and 101 Logistic Brigade is nearing completion. The Royal Navy is maintaining a presence of five vessels in the Gulf. The Joint Helicopter Force of 18 helicopters based at Basra continues to support forces on the ground. We are considering the scope for rear-basing two RAF Tornado GR4 in the UK, leaving six in theatre with a number of supporting aircraft, in line with the reduced requirement for sorties.
UK forces are already working closely with military contingents from a number of countries, and further forces are due to deploy over the coming weeks. Headquarters 3 (UK) Division formally took over command of the Multinational Division (South East) (MND(SE)) on 12 July. This division is now responsible for Coalition forces in four provinces in Southern Iraq, namely Al Basrah, Maysan, Dhi Qar and Al Muthanna. Nine countries have committed troops, and discussions continue with a number of others. When fully assembled, non-UK multinational contributions to MND(SE) should total some 5,500 military personnel.
In Al Basrah province, a Czech Field Hospital and a company of military police, over 300 Czech personnel in all, will be attached to Headquarters MND(SE). The Czech Field Hospital has been dosing valuable work in Iraq since May. 38 Engineer Regiment of 19 Mechanised Brigade will work alongside a 140-strong Norwegian company in the Al Basrah and Maysan provinces. We also expect the deployment of around 40 New Zealand engineers with a small support staff for humanitarian and reconstruction tasks. Also in Maysan province, a Danish battlegroup of some 450 personnel including a 30-strong Lithuanian contingent has for some weeks been operating out of Al Qurnah. In Al Muthanna province, a 1,100-strong Dutch battlegroup comprising a Marine battalion, engineer company, medical facility and a military police platoon, will be based in As Samawah. In addition, three Dutch Chinook helicopters will be deployed to Tallil. The Italian mechanised brigade in Dhi Qar province will be 2,800 strong, and will be supported by a Romanian mechanised battalion and military police company (520 personnel), and a 130-strong security force company of Portuguese National Guard in a policing role. These contributions to MND(SE) represent a powerful symbol of the international community's commitment to the future of Iraq.
The rotation of the UK divisional headquarters, the deployment of international contingents, and the inception of MND(SE) makes this an appropriate juncture to take stock of planned force levels. This process is continuing. If necessary, we will make further adjustments to our deployed forces. We remain committed to maintaining appropriate forces in Iraq for as long as necessary and no longer.