10.1 |
Reconstruction: March 2003 to June 2004
936.
The 12
February meeting of the AHMGIR considered an FCO paper
entitled
‘UK Representation
in Iraq Post-Transition’.545
937.
In the paper,
the FCO set out proposals for an Embassy in Baghdad, a
Consulate
General in
Basra and a representative in the North.546
The FCO
also suggested that the
UK needed
to consider how international assistance in the South should be
co-ordinated
after
CPA(South) closed on 30 June.
938.
The AHMGIR
agreed the shape of British representation and tasked officials
to
consider
the practicalities, and requested a paper on co-ordination of the
international
effort in
the South, for discussion at its next meeting.
939.
Sir Hilary
Synnott paid a farewell call on Mr Blair on 17
February.547
Sir
Hilary
told
Mr Blair that reconstruction was the key to maintaining
consent in the South.
Reconstruction
projects had a long lead-time but were now kicking in. Political
transition
and the
dismantling of CPA(South) could lead to a loss of momentum and
civil unrest.
Sir
Hilary’s particular worry was the portfolio of projects conceived
and initiated by the
UK but
funded by the US. Those could suffer if the US focused on new
projects and
DFID on
UK-funded projects. He hoped there would still be a “locally
co-ordinated (and
ideally
UK-led) international effort” in the South. Mr Blair agreed on
the need to maintain
momentum on
reconstruction.
940.
Sir Hilary
told the Inquiry that Mr Blair’s response to his concerns had
been
941.
Mr Blair
told the Inquiry that, although anxiety and concern were
occasionally
flagged up
very strongly in Sir Hilary’s reports from Basra, when Sir Hilary
left Iraq he
was, on
balance, optimistic rather than pessimistic.549
942.
Sir Hilary’s
response to Mr Blair’s assessment is described later in this
Section.
943.
Mr Nixon
offered his first impressions from Basra on 24 February (after
some
three weeks
in post as Head of CPA(South)).550
He
described himself as “guardedly
optimistic”.
Economic activity was increasing and there was an air of excitement
around
the
political process.
944.
CPA(South) now
had “almost a full house of specialist experts” and was
working
closely
with MND(SE). By the end of February, CPA(South) would have
committed
US$280m to
more than 1,300 projects designed to create jobs, make a quick and
visible
545
Minutes, 12
February 2004, Ad Hoc Group on Iraq Rehabilitation
meeting.
546
Paper FCO,
[undated], ‘Future UK Representation in Iraq’.
547
Letter
Cannon to Owen, 17 February 2004, ‘Iraq: Sir Hilary
Synnott’.
548
Letter
Synnott to Aldred, 24 January 2011, [untitled].
549
Public
hearing, 21 January 2011, page 135.
550
Telegram 19
CPA Basra to FCO London, 24 February 2004, ‘First Impressions from
Basra’.
163