The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
of how this
current issue is resolved, the Security Council is going to have a
role
to play.
And I think that was also implied in the communiqué that came out
of the
Azores.
That the UN has an important role to play in the post-conflict Iraq
and the
Council
will have to discuss that. The Council will have to give me a
mandate for
some of the
activities that we will need to undertake.”449
1061.
Sir David
Manning spoke to Dr Rice on 18 March and explained that the
UK
hoped to
see the US draft of a post-conflict resolution.450
He welcomed
the news that
Dr Rice
planned to see Mr Annan in New York the following week. Sir
David considered
it
“extremely important to emphasise our commitment to the UN’s
post-conflict role, as
we had done
at the Azores Summit”.
1062.
Mr Blair
told Cabinet on 17 March that the US had confirmed that it
would
seek a
mandate for post-conflict reconstruction.
1063.
A specially
convened Cabinet attended by Lord Goldsmith, the last before
the
invasion,
was held at 1600 on 17 March (see Section 3.8).451
1064.
Mr Blair
told Cabinet that the US had confirmed that it “would seek a UN
mandate
for the
post-conflict reconstruction of Iraq”. Oil revenues would be
administered under
the UN’s
authority.
1065.
Late on 17
March, Ms Anna Bewes, Ms Short’s Principal Private
Secretary,
informed
Mr Heywood that, subject to her deciding she could remain in
government,
Ms Short
would like to take up Mr Blair’s suggestion that she visit New
York and
Washington
to follow up his conversations with Mr Annan and “to take
forward
discussions
on humanitarian and reconstruction assistance with the UN, IFIs
and
US”.452
Ms Short
would report back to Cabinet on 20 March.
1066.
On 17
March, Mr Blair met Dr Barham Salih, the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan
(PUK)
“Prime Minister” of northern Iraq, at No.10.
1067.
Section 6.4
describes Mr Blair’s meeting with Mr Masoud Barzani,
leader of the
Kurdistan
Democratic Party (KDP), and Mr Jalal Talabani, leader of the
PUK, at No.10
449
UN News
Centre, 17 March
2003, Press
Encounter with the Secretary-General at the Security
Council
stakeout
(unofficial transcript).
450
Letter
Manning to McDonald, 18 March 2003, ‘Iraq: Conversation with Condi
Rice’.
451
Cabinet
Conclusions, 17 March 2003.
452
Letter
Bewes to Heywood, 17 March 2003, [untitled].
453
Letter
Rycroft to Sinclair, 19 December 2002, ‘Iraqi Kurds: Meeting with
Prime Minister, 19 December’.
502