The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
561.
The Cabinet
Office produced an update on work on the “review of
policy”
requested
by Mr Blair following his 22 May visit, “including in response
to serious
concerns
over the situation in Basra”, for the 15 June meeting of
DOP(I).323
562.
On
electricity, the Cabinet Office paper stated that following
positive early meetings
with the
new Electricity Minister, DFID was focusing on “demand issues and
planning” by:
•
getting the
World Bank and other donors including the EU and Japan
engaged.
DFID was
funding a World Bank adviser on energy sector management,
and
part-funding
the new World Bank Country Office;
•
leveraging
World Bank loans for power projects in response to specific
requests
from the
Electricity Minister; and
•
offering a
consultant to the Ministry of Electricity to advise on an
electricity plan.
563.
On
international support, US and UK officials were discussing options
for a
compact
between Iraq and the international community.
564.
The UK’s role
in the development of the International Compact is described
later
in this
Section.
565.
On capacity
building, the UK was supporting a number of key Iraqi institutions
but
that effort
was “dwarfed by
a very large … often overambitious US programme”.
The US had
offered to share work it was undertaking to map and improve
its
capacity‑building
effort. That would provide a basis for discussions on a
complementary
approach.
566.
On Basra,
officials had been undertaking a “major review of policy” in
MND(SE),
in response
to concerns (shared by the US) that Basra was not on track to meet
the
proposed
transition timelines. The “work plan for Basra” had been organised
around
four
strands: political framework; security; Rule of Law and governance;
and economic
development
and reconstruction.
567.
On the
economic development and reconstruction strand, departments had
been
reviewing
their programmes to ensure that:
•
key
short-term requirements were met;
•
plans were
in place for the Iraqi Government and the wider donor
community
to tackle
Basra’s medium- and long-term requirements; and
•
all
projects were delivering a visible dividend to
Baswaris.
568.
Funding had
been found from existing resources for a number of new
initiatives,
but
departments were still scoping the cost of further short-term
measures. An initial
estimate
was that an additional £85m might be required.
323
Paper
Cabinet Office, 13 June 2006, ‘Follow-up to the Prime Minister’s
Visit, Including Delivering
a Step-Change
in Basra’.
290