The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
1150.
On 19
March, Mr Straw and Mr Hoon informed Mr Blair
that:
•
the UK
would not be expected to contribute resources to
anything
other than
security during the first phase of the US post-conflict
plan
(a transitional
administration headed by ORHA);
•
it would be
premature to take a view on the merits of sectors for
the
following
phase; but
•
it would
help the US and military planners to agree on the UK’s
medium‑term
contribution.
1151.
The minute
concluded with a warning that Coalition partners were thin
on
the ground.
If the campaign did not go well, there would not be many who
would
be prepared
or able to take part.
1152.
Mr Straw
and Mr Hoon considered only the UK’s military presence in
Iraq.
They made
no reference to the civilian contribution.
1153.
Sir Kevin
Tebbit expressed concern about the transition from a
primarily
military
effort to longer-term civilian-led reconstruction. It would be
necessary to
work hard
to avoid dependence on the Armed Forces to carry out civilian
tasks.
1154.
Mr Straw
and Mr Hoon sent Mr Blair a joint minute on the UK
military contribution
to
post-conflict Iraq on 19 March.494
1155.
The draft was
subject to “intensive consultations” at official level in the MOD
and
1156.
In the FCO,
Mr Ricketts sent the draft to Mr Straw’s Private Office
with the
comment:
“This is a
clear note on a crucial issue. If the Secretary of State
[Mr Straw] could OK
it (I
showed him a slightly earlier draft this morning) it can go to
No.10 tonight, for
discussion
at the PM’s meeting at 0830 on 20 March.”496
1157.
In the MOD,
the draft was cleared by Adm Boyce and Sir Kevin
Tebbit.
1158.
Sir Kevin
commented:
“In terms
of our military capacity, with an eye to the aftermath, it would
clearly be
preferable
to confine ourselves to SE Iraq and not bite off more than we can
chew.
I accept,
however, that we should be prepared, initially, for our forces to
be fairly
494
Minute
Straw and Hoon to Prime Minister, 19 March 2003, ‘Iraq: UK Military
Contribution to post-conflict
Iraq’.
495
Minute
Chilcott to Private Secretary [FCO], [undated], ‘Iraq: The UK’s
Military Contribution to
Post‑Conflict
Iraq’.
496
Manuscript
comment Ricketts to Private Secretary [FCO], [undated], on Minute
Chilcott to
Private Secretary
[FCO], [undated], ‘Iraq: The UK’s Military Contribution to
Post-Conflict Iraq’.
516