12.1 |
Security Sector Reform
178.
Mr Sawers
had reported to the FCO in London on 20 May that the question
of
“what to do
about military pay and pensions” was one of the “problems in the
pipeline”.143
No further
details were provided.
179.
Maj Gen Cross
prepared a note for Mr Blair on 22 May setting out some points
to
make in a
forthcoming discussion with President Bush.144
Those
included a reference to
the recent
de‑Ba’athification announcement having “created some inevitable
difficulties”.
180.
Maj Gen Cross
also raised a concern about what he understood to be
the
emerging
policy decision not to pay pensions to former military personnel.
He
commented
that “there are dangers in excluding such a large and possibly well
armed
group” from
arrangements that were to apply to other members of the public
sector.
181.
Although no
details of the amount of that payment and the arrangements
for
receiving
it were given in the Order itself, those dismissed by CPA Order
No.2 were
entitled to
a termination payment (unless they were a “Senior Party Member”
within the
terms of
the de‑Ba’athification Order).145
Those who
had previously been receiving a
pension
from one of the dissolved organisations would continue to receive
that pension
(again,
unless they were a “Senior Party Member”).
182.
A telegram
from FCO London to Washington, dated 30 May, identified the
problem
of large
numbers of people (and in particular those with military training)
out of work and
without
prospect of further employment.146
The FCO
commented:
“… the
Coalition needs a policy to reduce the perverse incentives for …
[that group]
to drift
towards the hard core actively opposing the Coalition … one
solution might
be to
create a workfare scheme – a pool of labour drawn specifically from
those left
unemployed
by the disbandment of the security apparatus, to meet urgent
short
term
requirements …
“In the
medium term, Security Sector Reform (SSR) will make a
significant
contribution
to resolving this issue.”
183.
An alternative
proposal for re‑employing former army personnel was put
forward
by the
Cabinet Office in the Annotated Agenda for the AHMGIR on 12
June.147
Officials
suggested
“pioneering the re‑employment of former Iraqi service personnel as
static
guards in
the UK‑led military sectors”.
184.
The minutes of
the meeting do not record a discussion of the
proposal.148
143
Telegram 18
IraqRep to FCO London, 20 May 2003, ‘Iraq: Bremer’s
Impact’.
144
Letter
Williams to Rycroft, 23 May 2003, ‘Iraq Reconstruction’ attaching
Paper Cross, 22 May 2003,
‘Iraq
Reconstruction: Some Thoughts for the PM in his Discussions with
President Bush’.
145
Coalition
Provisional Authority Order Number 2, 23 May 2003, Section
3(5).
146
Telegram
251 FCO London to Washington, 30 May 2003, ‘Iraq: Dismantling the
Ba’athist State’.
147 Annotated
Agenda, 12 June 2003, Ad Hoc Group on Iraq Rehabilitation
meeting.
148
Minutes, 12
June 2003, Ad Hoc Group on Iraq Rehabilitation
meeting.
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