The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
level. Most
importantly, all British civilian staff are required to travel in
armoured
vehicles
and in convoy with armed protection teams … We have to be prepared
for
the
possibility of serious casualties: … people may just be in the
wrong place at the
wrong
time.”
258.
Sir Michael
Jay visited Baghdad from 21 to 23 January. He told
Mr Straw:
“There are
some tensions on the ground, notably over security, particularly
in
Baghdad:
staff tend to put a greater premium on quality of life … than on
security.
I believe
Jeremy Greenstock’s maxim that no British staff should be killed
by
a predictable
attack is right.” 177
259.
On 18
February, Mr O’Donnell confirmed to Sir Jeremy Greenstock
that, in light
of the
assurances he had received, “Treasury secondees will be making
their way back
to Iraq
from the beginning of next week”.178
260.
Lord Jay told
the Inquiry:
“Flying
into Baghdad [in January 2004] in a Hercules which has got red
blobs
on the
radar screens saying ‘That’s where the missiles were fired the last
time
round’
concentrates the mind a bit … These were not normal conditions.
These
were,
I thought, very brave, very able people from a wide range of
government
departments
doing a fantastic job in very, very difficult circumstances and
you
come back
thinking, ‘Gosh! You have really got to focus on their safety. It
is hugely
important
that they continue to do this job as well as they are doing it at
the moment.’
But you
have got to have huge responsibility for their
safety.” 179
261.
A DFID
security assessment of Baghdad and Basra in January 2004 found
that:
“With many
more armoured vehicles now in country, constraints on the movement
of
staff have
eased over the period but the CRG teams remain fully stretched.
Numbers
of British
staff at both locations (Baghdad and Basra) continue to increase,
and extra
armoured
vehicles and Armed Protection Teams (APTs) are still urgently
needed.” 180
262.
On 26 January
2004, Mr Straw requested a further £9.4m from
Mr Boateng:
“The firm
judgement of our security experts is that, without the protection
of
armoured
vehicles and APTs (armed protection teams), it would be too
dangerous
for our
civilian staff to travel outside guarded CPA compounds such as the
Green
177
Minute Jay
to Secretary of State [FCO], 26 January 2004, ‘Visit to Iraq: 21‑23
January’.
178
Letter
O’Donnell to Greenstock, 18 February 2004, [untitled].
179
Public
hearing, 30 June 2010, page 46.
180
Paper CHAD
Operations Team [junior official], January 2004, ‘DFID Security
Assessment of Baghdad
and Basra –
January 2004’.
181
Letter
Straw to Chief Secretary to the Treasury, 26 January 2004, ‘Iraq:
Security for British Civilian
Staff’.
290