6.5 |
Planning and preparation for a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, January to
March 2003
1293.
Mr Fernie
explained that the paper would be tabled at a Cabinet Office
meeting
the next
day. He added:
“We will
discuss the process for the more comprehensive paper tomorrow
afternoon
– it will
be useful to show to No.10 and the Cabinet Office that DFID is not
only the
natural
lead on this approach but also has the human resources and
experience to
dedicate to
it.”
1294.
On 28 March,
Mr Fernie sent the draft to the Cabinet Office as a
“work‑in‑progress”
setting out
some “preliminary ideas on reconstruction
planning”.539
Mr Fernie
explained
that the
paper benefited from comments offered by FCO, MOD and Cabinet
Office
officials
at a meeting chaired by DFID, which had raised wider issues about
how
reconstruction
fitted with the UK’s overall approach to rebuilding Iraq and
securing
international
consensus behind that approach. DFID’s view was that the UK needed
to
“start
working now on a broader strategy which binds together the many
bits of work
going on
across Whitehall”.
1295.
The
development of DFID’s approach to post-conflict reconstruction is
addressed
in Section
10.1.
1296.
The extent
of the work still to be done on planning and preparing for
the
range of
post-conflict tasks was apparent from a list of issues prepared by
the
Cabinet
Office on 28 March for consideration by the new Ad Hoc Ministerial
Group
on Iraq
Rehabilitation (AHMGIR).
1297.
On 28 March,
Mr Drummond sent Mr Bowen a list of issues for
consideration by
the AHMGIR,
including, for some items, an assessment of current
plans:
•
humanitarian
assistance;
•
role of
ORHA: “competence and UK links with and involvement
in”;
•
wider UN
role on reconstruction;
•
political
process/fate of the Ba’ath Party: “Outline plan exists, not agreed
with
US”;
•
economy:
“Good contacts with US”;
•
reconstruction
of infrastructure: “Depends on damage. Beginning now.
Disagreements
with US on role of Iraqis”;
•
SSR: “Ideas
offered to US, but no plan”;
•
public
administration reform and service delivery: “No plan
yet?”;
•
commercial
opportunities: “Needs wider policy agreement with US”;
•
legal
issues: “Some contact with US. No firm agreement. No
plan”;
539
Letter
Fernie to Drummond, 28 March 2003, ‘Iraq Reconstruction Planning’
attaching Paper DFID,
27 March
2003, ‘Iraq – Reconstruction Planning: Objectives and
Approach’.
539