The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
726.
The Annotated
Agenda stated that if the US$97m required to complete
the
Essential Services Plan were channelled through the PMO, that might
delay or
prevent
disbursement.
727.
At the AHMGIR
meeting, FCO officials reported that the CPA had produced
a
coherent
strategy for improving the quality of the Iraqi Media
Network.400
Much could
be
funded by
the CPA, but the UK should provide “niche assistance, including
expertise,
where best
we could”.
728.
Gen Walker
said that there needed to be visible action on the Essential
Services
Plan before
Ramadan.
729.
Baroness Amos
reported that Mr Benn and Mr Chakrabarti were in Iraq
attempting
to ease CPA
funding. If that funding was not secured within four weeks, the
Treasury
would need
to be approached.
730.
Ministers
asked officials to consider the UK’s involvement in the PMO
further.
731.
Ministers also
agreed that officials should produce costed proposals for UK
support
on the
media as soon as possible for discussion with the
Treasury.
732.
General Mike
Jackson, Chief of the General Staff, visited Iraq from 12
to
15 September.401
He reported
to Gen Walker on 17 September:
“He [Maj
Gen Lamb, GOC MND(SE)] does not require a third additional
battalion
or
additional RE [Royal Engineers] squadron at the moment and is
confident that
he can meet
any potential tasks that arise from the Essential Services Plan.
There
is
therefore no requirement for an additional brigade HQ at this
stage. This may
change and
we need to remain responsive to the needs of the GOC.”
733.
Sir Hilary
wrote in his memoir that he raised the need for additional support
from
the UK
military with Gen Jackson during his visit:
“I
explained that I had noted that the Army Headquarters judged that,
despite the
deteriorating
security, their position was sustainable with their existing troop
levels.
In
contrast, my organisation’s position was not … If we were to travel
to meet Iraqis
and visit
the other provinces … our staff now needed to be escorted by
military
vehicles
…
“From then
on, we had a steady and reliable system of escorts. They were
inevitably
never as
much as we needed, so we had to cut back on our visits; but …
we
sustained a
reasonable level of activity.”402
400
Minutes, 18
September 2003, Ad Hoc Group on Iraq Rehabilitation
meeting.
401
Minute CGS
to CDS, 17 September 2003, ‘CGS Visit to Op.TELIC 12-15 Sep
03’.
402
Synnott
H. Bad Days in
Basra: My Turbulent Time as Britain’s Man in Southern
Iraq. I B
Tauris & Co
Ltd.,
2008.
126