10.1 |
Reconstruction: March 2003 to June 2004
684.
To ensure a
co-ordinated approach, CPA(South) would chair an
“Essential
Services
Steering Group” made up of Iraqi Directors General, MND(SE),
relevant UN
agency
Heads, NGOs and other relevant agencies. The Plan would be
directed, at least
initially,
by the MND(SE) Chief Engineer on behalf of Sir Hilary Synnott,
supported by the
Mott
MacDonald team.
685.
The Plan
stated that neither CPA(South) nor MND(SE) was staffed to
manage
the
rehabilitation of essential services. “Staffing by generalists” had
achieved “mixed
results”;
specialists were required to manage the work into the medium and
long term.
686.
At the AHMGIR
meeting, Mr Benn announced that DFID had already
approved
£20m for
the Essential Services Plan, and that a project team would go to
Iraq by
12
September.381
The UK
should continue to seek money from the CPA, but must
be
prepared to
act fast on its own if necessary.
687.
The AHMGIR
endorsed the Essential Services Plan and stated that it should
be
taken
forward urgently.
688.
Mr Benn
wrote to Mr Blair later that day to confirm DFID’s
commitment:
“You asked
for immediate action to support Sir Hilary Synnott’s proposals for
urgent
infrastructure
projects in the CPA(South) area. I have today approved funding
of
£20m for
consulting services, equipment, spare parts and rehabilitation
works …
“It is
expected to benefit over 5m people. The project will deliver over
the next six
months but
with tangible benefits due within weeks.” 382
689.
The balance of
funding for the Plan would need to come from the CPA:
“We have
held back from committing to meet the full cost, to avoid giving
the
impression
to the CPA that HMG [Her Majesty’s Government] wants to take
on
full
responsibility for the South of the country including the future
funding of all
infrastructure.
Such a commitment would be financially and logistically
enormous,
and well
beyond DFID’s budget. We need to keep pressing Bremer to make
more
effective
use of CPA resources, and in particular to transfer these funds
and
delegate
responsibility to Sir Hilary Synnott now …
“I hope
this can be on your list of points to raise with President
Bush.”
690.
Mr Crompton
visited Basra and Baghdad from 31 August to 3
September.383
He reported
to Mr Chaplin on 5 September that “the Coalition as a whole is
only just
beginning
to come to terms with the scale of the task we have taken on”. The
“general
feeling”
was that the Coalition needed to “throw massive resources at the
problem now,
with a
focus on accelerating the security work and essential services
side”. The US were
381
Minutes, 4
September 2003, Ad Hoc Group on Iraq Rehabilitation
meeting.
382
Letter Benn
to Blair, 4 September 2003, ‘Iraq: Restoring Essential Services in
the South’.
383
Minute
Crompton to Chaplin, 5 September 2003, ‘Visit to Iraq: 31 August to
3 September’.
119