The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
121.
On 22 January,
Mr Bowen consulted Mr Lee, Mr Chaplin and Dr Nicola
Brewer,
DFID
Director General Regional Programmes, on draft military campaign
objectives.63
122.
Dr Brewer
copied the draft objectives to Ms Short, explaining that the MOD
had
consulted
DFID on three other papers that day: two on the impact of CBW on
civilians
and a more
general paper by the MOD Defence Intelligence Staff
(DIS).64
Dr
Brewer
observed
“signs … that MOD and the military are beginning to take more
seriously the
humanitarian
implications for military planning and of any
conflict”.
123.
Sir Suma
Chakrabarti, DFID Permanent Secretary from 2002 to 2008, told
the
Inquiry
that, from January 2002, there were much better links between
military and
DFID
planners: “until that point we didn’t have much of an idea of what
military planning
consisted
of and how humanitarian assistance should link into
that”.65
124.
Mr Bowen
requested written comments on a revised draft of the military
campaign
objectives
on 28 January.66
125.
Dr Brewer
informed DFID colleagues that the revised objectives
incorporated
the main
points she had made at a meeting chaired by Mr Bowen to
discuss the draft.
Those
were:
•
the need to
highlight humanitarian consequences of military action earlier in
the
draft;
•
the need to
factor in “stabilisation” objectives from the start, not just
during the
“aftermath”;
and
•
the need
for references to essential infrastructure to cover utilities,
“especially
electricity”,
transport and key buildings, as well as oil.67
126.
Mr Bowen
sent a revised draft to Sir David Manning on 29
January.68
127.
The draft
incorporated a number of additional written comments proposed by
DFID
and agreed
by Ms Short.69
128.
Mr Bowen
explained to Sir David Manning that the objectives “flow from our
policy
objectives
published on 7 January”. They had not been agreed by departments,
although
Ministers
had seen them and were “generally content”.
63
Letter
Bowen to Lee, 22 January 2003, ‘Iraq: Military Campaign
Objectives’.
64
Manuscript
comment Nicola [Brewer] to PS/SOS [DFID] on Fax Bowen to Lee, 23
January 2003,
‘Iraq: Military
Objectives’.
65
Public
hearing, 8 December 2009, page 19.
66
Letter
Bowen to Lee, 28 January 2003, ‘Iraq: Military Campaign
Objectives’.
67
Manuscript
comment Brewer to Fernie on Fax Bowen to Lee, 28 January 2003,
‘Iraq: Military Campaign
Objectives’.
68
Minute
Bowen to Manning, 29 January 2003, ‘Iraq: Military Campaign
Objectives’ attaching
Paper [unattributed
and undated], ‘Iraq: Military Campaign Objectives’.
69
Manuscript
comment Short on Minute Bolton to PS/Secretary of State [DFID], 28
January 2003,
‘Iraq: Military
Campaign Objectives’.
332