12.1 |
Security Sector Reform
1053.
Mr Nuri
al‑Maliki was nominated as Prime Minister on 21 April
2006.968
Reporting
the news,
an eGram from the British Embassy Baghdad stated that Prime
Minister Maliki
had been a
“driving force” as Deputy Chair of the de‑Ba’athification Committee
and had
“a strong
anti‑militia stance”. He favoured “the dissolution of all militias
and [did not]
believe in
their reintegration into Iraqi security forces”.
1054.
Sir Nigel
Sheinwald and Mr Nick Banner, a Private Secretary to
Mr Blair, visited
Iraq
shortly after Prime Minister Maliki’s nomination.969
In a report
of the visit, Sir Nigel
told
Mr Blair:
“The two
litmus tests ahead are:
(i) Choice
of Interior and Defence Ministers and willingness/ability to clean
out
their
ministries and make them work;
(ii)
Disbanding the militias … some can be integrated in the ISF, but
others will
need to be
demobilised and retrained.
There will
need to be a major DDR and jobs package which we should try to get
the
international
community involved in. Even if we do, this is a massive task.
Militias
abound –
from personal protection, to Badr and JAM, through to the
Facilities
Protection
Service.”
1055.
Mr Blair
spoke to Prime Minister Maliki on 28 April.970
Prime Minister
Maliki
stressed
his commitment to “remove weapons from all the militias” and
requested UK
support to
accelerate the training of the ISF.
On 8 June
2006, the Iraqi security ministers were appointed:
•
Minister of
the Interior: Mr Jawad Boulani (Shia Independent);
•
Minister of
Defence: Lieutenant General Abdel Qadir (Sunni); and
•
Minister for
National Security: Mr Sherwan al Wa’ali (Shia Da’wa
Tanzeem).971
1056.
Mr Blair
met Prime Minister Maliki on 22 May during his visit to
Iraq.972
A
minute
from
Mr Banner about the meeting reported that Prime Minister
Maliki “expressed
concern
about the readiness of the Iraqi Security Forces, in terms of
numbers, training
968
eGram
13011/06 Baghdad to FCO, 24 April 2006, ‘Iraq: Formation of the New
Government: Al‑Maliki
Nominated
by UIA as Prime Minist’ [sic].
969
Minute
Sheinwald to Prime Minister, 27 April 2006, ‘Visit to
Iraq’.
970
Letter
Banner to Siddiq, 28 April 2006, ‘Nouri al‑Maliki’.
971
eGram
22963/06 Baghdad to FCO London, 8 June 2006, ‘Iraq: Ministers of
Interior, Defence and
National
Security Appointed’.
972
Minute
PS/PM to PS/FS, 22 May 2006, ‘Iraq: Prime Minister’s Meeting with
Nouri al‑Maliki’.
295