The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
clarify
plans for UN staff, the impact on the Better Basra programme and
the implications
for
funding.
241.
Vice Admiral
Charles Style, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff
(Commitments),
raised
concerns on behalf of Maj Gen Shirreff, who considered that the
withdrawal of
civilian
staff would send the wrong message.
242.
Updating
Mr Blair on the plan later in the day, his Private Secretary
wrote that
“this move
is likely to be seen as a victory by those attacking
us”.141
243.
Dr Rosalind
Marsden, the British Consul General in Basra; and four
FCO
civilian staff
were to remain in Basra Palace, while the other staff were
relocated to
Basra Air
Station.
244.
The update
also described a growing public perception that the US and
Prime
Minister
Maliki were “drifting apart”, fuelled by contrasting public
statements about the
time needed
to re‑establish order in Iraq.
245.
Responding to
the update, Mr Blair wrote “we need to review the political
strategy
to underpin
the right analysis of what is happening. I will do a
note.”142
246.
On 29 October,
Mr Blair produced a paper entitled ‘Iraq Plan’ which set out
nine
points
requiring “active central management with weekly meeting for me and
key
•
“Improve
Maliki’s governing capability”.
•
encourage a
political process to draw in Sadrists and Sunni Arabs, including
by
providing a
conditional timeline for withdrawal if necessary;
•
“Rectify
any weaknesses in training, equipment, pay and capacity of the
Iraqi
Army”.
•
“… pay off
the worst aspects of the police, slim them down and change
the
command and
control”.
•
commission
an analysis of “Shia feeling”;
•
expose the
involvement of Iran in Iraq;
•
pass a new
Security Council resolution – “not just about the rollover but puts
Iraq
in a fresh
context”;
•
persuade
the Iraq Study Group to adopt a “whole Middle East strategy”;
and
•
after the
US mid‑term elections, argue for the adoption of such a
strategy.
141
Minute
Banner to Blair, 27 October 2006, ‘Iraq Update, 27
October’.
142
Manuscript
comment Blair on Minute Banner to Blair, 27 October 2006, ‘Iraq
Update, 27 October’.
143
Paper
Blair, 29 October 2006, ‘Iraq Plan’.
48