The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
coming a
few months down the track, and on the other, the difficulties our
FCO and
DFID
representatives face in getting out on to the ground to do
this.”
41.
On 22 June,
Gen Casey commented in a press conference that he was
confident
that the
Iranians, through their covert special operations forces, were
providing
weapons,
IED technology and training to Shia extremist groups in
Iraq.35
42.
On 25 June,
Prime Minister Maliki announced his plan for national
reconciliation.36
The
28‑point plan included:
•
the
formation of a National Council for Reconciliation, and a National
Dialogue
Plan,
linked to sub committees at regional and local levels, bringing
together
political,
religious and tribal leaders;
•
concerted
action against terrorism – including a requirement that all
those
involved in
government must overtly reject terrorism – and mechanisms
to
prevent the
abuse of human rights;
•
a review of
the de‑Ba’athification Commission (see Section 11.1),
and
compensation
for those who had lost their jobs after the fall of the
Saddam
regime;
•
an amnesty
for detainees not involved in terrorism or war crimes;
•
compensation
for the victims of terrorism, for the victims of Saddam
Hussein’s
regime and
for displaced persons (including a commitment to return them
to
their
homes);
•
improving
public services, including the security forces, enabling them to
be
ready to
take over responsibility for security from the MNF;
•
tackling
the militias;
•
reasserting
the authority of elected Iraqi institutions over decisions on
Iraq’s
sovereignty
and the presence of the MNF in Iraq (including negotiations with
the
MNF to
prevent human and civil rights violations during military
operations); and
•
a
nation‑wide development programme to tackle unemployment and
poverty.
43.
On 28 June,
Maj Gen Cooper reported that the US military were not supportive
of
deciding in
July when Maysan would transition to PIC.37
44.
Maj Gen Cooper
also reported that the current Shia government was “highly
unlikely
to
re‑commit non‑Iraqi forces into any Shia Province after PIC except
in the most dire
35
US
Department of Defense News Transcript, 22 June 2006,
DoD News
Briefing with Secretary
Rumsfeld
and Gen Casey from the Pentagon.
36
BBC
News, 25 June
2006, Main points
of Iraq’s peace plan.
37
Minute
Cooper, 28 June 2006, ‘GOC MND (SE) – Southern Iraq Update – 28
June 2006’.
38
Minute
Cooper, 28 June 2006, ‘GOC MND(SE) – Southern Iraq Update – 28 June
2006’.
10