The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
544.
The AHMGIR met
later on 3 July, chaired by Mr Hoon.
545.
The Annotated
Agenda for the meeting, prepared by the Cabinet Office,
reported
that the
security situation was “constraining the reconstruction work of the
CPA, the UN
and other
international actors”.291
As a result
of security concerns, UK CPA secondees
were
operating a night-time curfew.
546.
On CPA(South),
the Annotated Agenda stated that Ambassador Olsen was
leaving
soon; the
UK was looking for a strong UK replacement. There had been some
progress
in
resolving funding and other issues between CPA (South) and
CPA(Baghdad), but
operational
funding had still not arrived.
547.
In discussion,
Ministers said that “there was no need, at present, to
increase
548.
Mr Hoon,
as Chair of the AHMGIR, summed up the discussion stating
“real
improvements
[in security] would depend in part on progress on political reform
and
reconstruction”.
549.
The AHMGIR was
also provided with:
•
a draft UK
Action Plan covering “political reform, security, economic and
physical
reconstruction”
for June to September 2003, which had been produced by
the
DFID-led
IROG;
•
the
statement of progress on rehabilitation which they had requested at
their
previous
meeting (on 26 June);
•
a paper
from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(DEFRA)
on
environmental reconstruction; and
•
a paper
from the MOD on the clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO)
and
depleted
uranium (DU).293
550.
The draft UK
Action Plan listed existing and planned activities to the end
of
September
2003 which, taken together, and assuming continued engagement by
the
US, UN and
IFIs, should lead to tangible progress towards the strategic
objective of:
“A free
Iraq at peace with its neighbours and governed by a
Government
representative
of all strands of society.”294
291 Annotated
Agenda, 3 July 2003, Ad Hoc Group on Iraq Rehabilitation
meeting.
292
Minutes, 3
July 2003, Ad Hoc Group on Iraq Rehabilitation
meeting.
293 Annotated
Agenda, 3 July 2003, Ad Hoc Group on Iraq Rehabilitation meeting
attaching Paper MOD,
2 July
2003, ‘Current policies and activities relating to clearance of
unexploded ordnance (UXO) and
depleted
uranium (DU) in Iraq’ and Paper DEFRA, 1 July 2003, ‘Environmental
Reconstruction in Iraq’.
294 Annotated
Agenda, 3 July 2003, Ad Hoc Group on Iraq Rehabilitation Meeting
attaching Paper [draft],
2 July
2003, ‘Iraq Rehabilitation Plan June – September
2003’.
96