15.1 | Civilian
personnel
611.
Ministers and
officials frequently expressed concern about the difficulties faced
by
the UK in
deploying the right people to positions where they would be able to
exert UK
influence
in a US‑dominated environment and achieve lasting impact in
Iraq.
612.
The issue
arose in a number of different contexts. It appears not to have
been
addressed
systematically.
613.
The
appointment of Major General Tim Cross as the senior UK member of
ORHA
in February
2003 is addressed earlier in this Section.
614.
Section 9.2
describes the appointment of his successor, Mr Andy
Bearpark.
615.
In the
Annotated Agenda for the AHMGIR on 22 May 2003, officials advised
that
Mr Bearpark
needed to be given the right job to “maximise UK influence in
ORHA”.399
616.
Mr Bearpark
was subsequently appointed CPA Director of Operations
and
Infrastructure.
He arrived in Baghdad on 16 June.
617.
Section 9.2
describes how, although UK officials in Whitehall regarded
Mr Bearpark
as the UK’s
senior representative in the CPA, Mr Bearpark saw his primary
loyalty as
lying with
the CPA and Ambassador Bremer.
618.
Several weeks
after Mr Bearpark’s arrival in Baghdad, the Government agreed
that
a senior UK
figure should be appointed to head CPA(South).
619.
On 10 July,
the AHMGIR agreed that:
•
Secondments
to the CPA should be maintained at “approximately the
current
level”, but
matched more closely to requirements, with more specialist
than
policy
staff.
•
The UK
effort in CPA(South) should be increased “as required”, including
through
the
appointment of a “suitably strong UK figure” to replace Ambassador
Olsen.400
620.
On 11 July
2003, Ms Hewitt advised Mr Blair of the need “to ensure that
we are
seconding
sufficiently senior people to the CPA”. It was noticeable that the
US was
sending
more senior people than the UK.401
621.
Shortly
afterwards, the IPU put forward recommendations for CPA
staffing
based on
the principle that the UK should seek to exert influence at “all
levels”.
These
included:
•
filling
gaps, including at a senior level, in UK coverage of SSR, the
economic
ministries
and the oil ministry;
399 Annotated
Agenda, 22 May 2003, Ad Hoc Group on Iraq Rehabilitation
meeting.
400
Minutes, 10
July 2003, Ad Hoc Group on Iraq Rehabilitation
meeting.
401
Letter
Hewitt to Prime Minister, 11 July 2003, ‘Report of My Visit to
Baghdad’.
351