6.5 |
Planning and preparation for a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, January to
March 2003
1187.
The Military
Campaign Objectives defined the overall objective for the
military
campaign
as:
“… to
create the conditions in which Iraq disarms in accordance with its
obligations
under
UNSCRs and remains so disarmed in the long term”.507
1188.
In aiming to
achieve the objective as swiftly as possible, the military
was
required to
make “every effort … to minimise civilian casualties and damage
to
essential
economic infrastructure, and to minimise and address adverse
humanitarian
consequences”.
1189.
On
post-conflict issues, the objectives stated that the UK would “work
with the
United
Nations to lift sanctions affecting the supply of humanitarian and
reconstruction
goods, and
to enable Iraq’s own resources, including oil, to be available to
meet the
needs of
the Iraqi people”, and “help create conditions for a future, stable
and law-
abiding
government of Iraq”.
1190.
The document
stated that the “immediate military priorities” for the Coalition
in the
wake of
hostilities were to:
“a. provide
for the security of friendly forces;
b.
contribute to the creation of a secure environment so that normal
life can be
restored;
c. work in
support of humanitarian organisations to mitigate the
consequences
of hostilities
and, in the absence of such civilian humanitarian capacity,
provide
relief
where it is needed;
d. work
with UNMOVIC/IAEA to rid Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction
and
their means
of delivery;
e.
facilitate remedial action where environmental damage has
occurred;
f. enable
the reconstruction and recommissioning of essential infrastructure
for
the
political and economic development of Iraq, and the immediate
benefit of
the Iraqi
people; and
g. lay
plans for the reform of Iraq’s security forces.”
1191.
The end state
for Iraq remained as defined in Mr Straw’s Written
Ministerial
Statement
of 7 January (see Section 6.4).
1192.
In his Address
to the Nation on 20 March (see Section 3.8), Mr Blair
stated:
“Removing
Saddam will be a blessing to the Iraqi people. Four million Iraqis
are in
exile. 60
percent of the population dependent on food aid. Thousands of
children
die every
year through malnutrition and disease. Hundreds of thousands have
been
driven from
their homes or murdered.
507
Iraq:
Military Campaign Objectives, 18 March 2003.
523