The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
done”. He
maintained that the question of who might replace Saddam Hussein
did
not yet
require a decision.
481.
Parliament was
recalled to discuss Iraq on 24 September (see Section
3.5).
482.
In his
statement to the House of Commons, Mr Blair drew attention to the
UK’s
continuing
commitment to Afghanistan:
“Afghanistan
is a country now freed from the Taliban but still suffering. This
is a
regime we
changed, rightly. I want to make it clear, once again, that we are
entirely
committed
to its reconstruction. We will not desert the Afghan people. We
will stick
with them
until the job of reconstruction is done.”263
483.
During the
adjournment debate that followed, Mr Charles Kennedy, Leader
of
the Liberal
Democrats, observed that:
“In his
statement, the Prime Minister spoke about the need for Iraq to be
led by
someone who
variously can abide by international law, bring Iraq back into
the
international
community, make the country rich and successful, and make
its
government
more representative of the country. However, he was silent on
the
question of
who or where that person or set of people is. The Prime Minister,
quite
rightly,
with our support and that of others, was able to point to the
mobilisation
of forces
in Afghanistan, which could lead to an alternative, more
acceptable
government
there. Is there capacity or potential for a similar mobilisation to
take
place
within Iraq?
“In the
context of Afghanistan, the Prime Minister made it clear that, if
such a
course of
action proved successful – which it did – the country and the
international
community
would not walk away. Is a similar approach being identified
for
Iraq? Does
such an approach encompass the mindset of the present
American
Administration?
If we were not to walk away following the toppling of Saddam,
who
would
provide the necessary presence to police and create the ongoing
stability in
Iraq that
would be essential because of the shell-shocked nature of that
country?
“When the
American Defense Secretary speaks of a ‘decapitation strategy’ with
a
view to
Iraq does he reflect the mind processes of the British Government?
Should
we not
instead be talking about the longer-term need for a rehabilitation
strategy
for Iraq,
not least for its innocent, oppressed people with whom none of us
has any
“As for not
walking away, we should not walk away from the situation in
Afghanistan,
and the US
Administration themselves have made clear that should it come
to
263
House of
Commons, Official
Report, 24
September 2002, column 6.
264
House of
Commons, Official
Report, 24
September 2002, column 10.
192