The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
be critical
and that it would take longer still to achieve the campaign
objectives we
have
currently set ourselves.”
357.
Gen Jackson
went on to comment on the problems with reconstruction,
Security
Sector
Reform and the military counter-insurgency strategy. He assessed
that “the
prognosis
for the SE is more optimistic than elsewhere” and that the Jameat
incident
was
“regarded now by the US as a little local difficulty, but
indicative of the deep,
widespread
corruption in the IPS across Iraq”.
358.
Gen Jackson
wrote: “it is not to our credit that we have known about
the
inadequacies
of the IPS for so long and yet failed to address
them”.
359.
He concluded
with a reference to the pressure that the helicopter support
fleet
and the air
bridge were facing, commenting “we really need to take stock of our
AT
[air
transport] capability in the round, especially in light of our
impending commitment
to
Afghanistan”. Gen Jackson’s report was sent only to senior military
officers, not to
Ministers
nor to senior officials within the MOD.
360.
The referendum
on Iraq’s draft Constitution took place on 15
October.158
Mr Patey
reported
that the day had “passed off largely peacefully across Iraq” with
89 attacks
reported,
significantly below the levels of violence experienced during the
January
elections.
The early predictions were that the turnout had been over 60
percent.
361.
Mr Patey
reported to the FCO:
“The
referendum process has gone as well as we could have hoped. If a
turnout of
over 60
percent is confirmed this will undermine the sceptics. It looks
clear that there
will be a
high turnout in Sunni areas, which enhances the legitimacy of the
result and
bodes well
for the elections in December.”
The new
Constitution comprised six sections, which covered:
•
Fundamental
principles. This defined
the Republic of Iraq as “a single, federal,
independent
and full sovereign state” and Islam as its official religion such
that “No
law may be
enacted that contradicts the established provisions of Islam.”
Arabic and
Kurdish
were named as official languages, the “Saddamist Ba’ath” Party was
banned
and
provision made for to the ISF to be “composed of the components of
the Iraqi
people,
with due consideration given to their balance and representation
without
discrimination
or exclusion”. The formation of militia groups was
prohibited.
•
Rights and
liberties. This section
enshrined equality before the law for all Iraqis,
the right
to “life, security and liberty”, rights to privacy, “so long as it
does not
contradict
the rights of others and public morals”, conditions for
citizenship, and the
independence
of the judiciary. This section contained protections for private
property,
158
eGram
15692/05 Baghdad to FCO London, 16 October 2005, ‘Iraq:
Constitution: Referendum Day
Passes
Peacefully’.
548