The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
822.
Sir Jeremy
Greenstock reported to Mr Blair on 15 October that, in
contrast to
Baghdad and
the Sunni Triangle:
“… a
virtuous circle seemed to be building up in the South, with locals
supporting the
reconstruction
process and turning in to the Coalition outsiders who disrupted
it.”458
823.
Sir Jeremy
advised that, despite the success of British efforts in the South,
the
success or
failure of the Coalition project would be decided in Baghdad. It
was vital
that the UK
took a strong policy interest there. Limited UK funding (which Sir
Jeremy
estimated
at two percent of the US contribution) curtailed UK
influence.
824.
Sir Jeremy
reported on 24 October that Gen Sanchez had ordered a
“comprehensive
review of security to try to regain operational
momentum”.459
Sir
Jeremy
commented
that the review represented “a clear move from stabilisation
towards
counter-insurgency
operations”.
825.
On 26 October,
the al-Rashid Hotel in the Green Zone of Baghdad, used as
a
Coalition
military base, was hit by a number of rockets.460
The attack
killed a US soldier
and injured
15 other people, including a UK Treasury secondee to the
CPA.
826.
Mr Bearpark
told the Inquiry that he viewed the attack as a turning
point:
“We [the
CPA] were very, very clearly on an upward slope until then … We
believed
that the
CPA was getting better at what it was meant to do and we were all
optimistic
… From
[that point] onwards, then the graph just went sharply
down.”461
827.
Sir Nicholas
Macpherson told the Inquiry that the attack prompted the
withdrawal
of all
Treasury officials from Iraq.462
Some would
return in January 2004, once secure
accommodation
had been provided.
828.
A 5 November
JIC assessment advised that, by attacking a wider set of
targets,
extremists
aimed to undermine the Coalition’s political
objectives.463
Those
targets
included
international organisations:
“Many NGOs
have already withdrawn from Iraq and the International
Committee
of the Red
Cross (ICRC), like the UN, intends to pull out most international
staff.
Medecins
Sans Frontieres has already decided to do so and others may
follow.”
458
Letter
Cannon to Owen, 16 October 2003, ‘Iraq: Sir Jeremy Greenstock’s
Call on the Prime Minister’.
459
Telegram
230 IraqRep to FCO London, 24 October 2003, ‘Iraq: Security
Update’.
460
BBC
News, 26
October 2003, US shocked
at Iraq hotel attack; Annotated
Agenda, 6 November 2003,
Ad Hoc
Group on Iraq Rehabilitation meeting.
461
Public
hearing, 6 July 2010, pages 43-44.
462
Statement,
15 January 2010, page 6.
463
JIC
Assessment, 5 November 2003, ‘Iraq Security’.
142