The Report of the Iraq Inquiry

1. This Section addresses:

• the UK role in preparing for a referendum on Iraq’s new Constitution and for

Parliamentary elections on 15 December, leading to the appointment of an Iraqi

Government led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki;

• plans for the phased withdrawal of UK forces, and parallel decisions on the UK

response to the new US “ink-spot” strategy for Iraq and on the deployment of

troops to Helmand province in Afghanistan;

• rising sectarian violence in Iraq and a growing UK focus on outreach to the

Sunni community; and

• concerns about the risks of strategic failure and civil war in Iraq.

2. This Section does not address the UK contribution to the reconstruction of Iraq and

reform of its security sector, covered in Sections 10 and 12 respectively.

3. The Inquiry’s conclusions in relation to the events described in this Section can be

read in Section 9.8.

4. In June 2005, Mr Edward Chaplin, the first British Ambassador to Iraq since the

early 1990s, was succeeded in post by Mr William Patey. At around the same time,

Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad succeeded Ambassador John Negroponte as the

US Ambassador to Iraq.

5. Giving evidence to the House of Commons Defence Committee in 2012,

Sir William Patey said:

“When I was sent to Iraq was the first time I have ever had my objectives delivered

directly to me by the Prime Minister. One of the objectives he set me was to get

some troop withdrawals by the following year – by June 2006. It was clear to me that

we were looking for extra troops, which we did not have, to send to Afghanistan.”1

6. Section 9.3 sets out UK views on the importance of participation by the Iraqi Sunni

community in the political process, and the beginning of direct engagement with some

individuals in pursuit of that aim.

7. The FCO had been considering the scope for broadening its earlier contact with

Sunni insurgents with a further round of talks.2 In early June, briefing on the options

for further Sunni engagement was provided in response to a request from Mr Blair’s

1 House of Commons, Corrected transcript of oral evidence, 4 September 2012, ‘Securing the Future of

Afghanistan’, page 4.

2 Minute senior government official specialising in the Middle East to Quarrey, 2 June 2005, ‘Iraq: Sunni

engagement’ and Minute senior government official specialising in the Middle East to Asquith, Richmond

and Foreign Secretary, 1 July 2005, [name of operation].

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