8  |  The invasion

660.  Mr Blair chaired the Ad Hoc Meeting on Iraq on 17 April.376 He concluded that

ORHA:

“… was important in getting Iraq back on its feet. We should have influence inside

it. He was sympathetic to the British taking a regional lead in the Office, and

wanted the scoping study completed quickly so that final decisions could be made

on our participation.”

661.  Mr Rycroft wrote to Mr Simon McDonald, Mr Straw’s Principal Private Secretary,

later that day to confirm Mr Blair’s view that the UK should increase support for ORHA

and that it should take on responsibility for an ORHA regional office “unless the scoping

study concludes that this is impossible”.377

662.  The realignment of UK forces for the transition from Phase III to Phase IV

began in mid-April 2003.

663.  On 17 April, Adm Boyce informed Ministers that Coalition Forces were

deploying to five post-conflict divisional areas, including a “British area”.

664.  The UK continued to seek clarification from CENTCOM on the boundaries

of the UK AOR.

665.  On 18 April, Adm Boyce and Lt Gen McKiernan agreed that, if at all possible,

Iraqi regions, military sectors and ORHA regions should be coterminous.

666.  On 16 April, Mr Johnson updated Mr Hoon on plans for the drawdown and

roulement of forces for Phase IV.378 Mr Johnson explained that:

“The realignment of forces for Phase IV will need to be a dynamic process and

kept under review, and we will provide further advice to the Secretary of State

as necessary … [C]urrent indications are that the US would like the UK to cover

two provinces, and – subject to the availability of suitable Coalition partners – to

supervise two more. The precise requirement for forces that this arrangement would

generate is still being established, but in broad terms, it should enable us to draw

down from three manoeuvre brigades to one. To maintain this level of commitment,

it will be necessary for some force elements currently in theatre to be withdrawn,

subsequently to re-deploy as part of the roulement process.”

667.  Adm Boyce informed the Ad Hoc Meeting on Iraq on 17 April that US forces were

deploying into their post-conflict divisional areas. There would be five such areas,

including “the British area”. US forces would be withdrawn where possible, “just as the

376  Minutes, 17 April 2003, Ad Hoc Meeting on Iraq.

377  Letter Rycroft to McDonald, 17 April 2003, ‘Iraq: ORHA’.

378  Minute Johnson to PS/Secretary of State [MOD], 16 April 2003, ‘Iraq: realignment of UK forces for

Phase IV’.

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