The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
“We are
increasingly unable to visit key ministries in Baghdad … We need to
be
realistic
about what is achievable.” 458
791.
The briefing
also stated that DFID’s budget for Iraq for 2007/08 was £30m,
down
from £45m
in 2006/07. Officials anticipated a “further tapering” over the
next few years,
although
that had not yet been announced.
792.
Mr Brown
spoke to Prime Minister Maliki on 5 July.459
On Basra,
Prime
Minister Maliki
said that he hoped it would be possible to reduce the burden on
UK
forces and
for Iraqi forces to take the lead within three months.
793.
Mr Brown
said that he would like to discuss the scope for economic
initiatives,
and
promised to send suggestions in the next few days. No.10 asked DFID
for a draft
letter for
Mr Brown to send to Prime Minister Maliki “setting out
draft proposals for an
economic
initiative”.
794.
Mr Brown
discussed Iraq with President Bush by video link on 9
July.460
Mr Brown
commented
that the Iraqi Government was making slow progress. Faster action
was
needed on
the Hydrocarbons Law and on “democratisation”.
795.
In an
interview on the BBC’s Today
Programme on 11 July,
Mr Brown described
the UK’s
strategy in Iraq as:
•
establishing
security;
•
promoting
reconciliation; and
•
“to get
people, and this is often forgotten, a stake in the future by
helping
the economic
development of Iraq”.461
“… I think
one of the failures at the beginning was that we didn’t put the
resources
and the
help in to economic reconstruction that was necessary … we can do a
lot
better in
the future.”
797.
Mr Brown
said that as the UK moved from a combat role to overwatch, it
would
bring in
the resources that were necessary for economic
development.
798.
The Overseas
and Defence Sub-Committee of the Committee on National
Security,
International
Relations and Defence (NSID(OD)), the successor to DOP(I) as
the
principal
forum for Ministerial discussion on Iraq, was scheduled to meet for
the first time
on 19 July
to discuss transition in Basra.
458
Minute DFID
[junior official] to PS/Secretary of State [DFID], 29 June 2007,
‘Iraq: Briefing for DFID/
FCO/MOD
Ministerial Trilateral’ attaching Paper DFID, [undated],
‘DFID/FCO/MOD Ministerial Trilateral
on Iraq
and Afghanistan’.
459
Letter
Banner to Hickey, 5 July 2007, ‘Conversation with Iraqi Prime
Minister’.
460
Letter
Henderson to Hayes, 9 July 2007, ‘Iraq/Afghanistan: Prime
Minister’s VTC with President Bush’.
461
BBC Radio
4, 11 July
2007, Today
Programme.
324