The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
722.
Maj Gen Shaw’s
Chief of Staff reported on 12 April:
“It has
been a sobering week. The conspicuously smooth and successful
handover
of the
Shatt al‑Arab Hotel was counter‑pointed by … attacks … that
resulted in the
deaths of
four soldiers, one interpreter and four wounded … We are … engaged
in
a dynamic
struggle with a resourceful and adaptive enemy.”394
723.
On 12 April,
Sir Nigel Sheinwald spoke to Iraqi Deputy Prime
Minister
Barham Salih
who said that in order to make progress on
reconciliation:
“Two key
pieces of legislation were needed, which would require US and UK
support
and
lobbying. The de‑Ba’athification law had been agreed by Maliki and
Talabani,
but was
still being resisted by parts of the UIA … The Hydrocarbons Law was
almost
there, but
still required some further engagement with the Kurds. There was
also
a need for
structural reform of the government to enable power‑sharing with
the
Sunnis and
Kurds, and prevent their marginalisation.”395
724.
In a separate
conversation Dr Muaffaq al Rubaie, the Iraqi National
Security
Adviser,
told Sir Nigel that “there was a growing consensus in support of
the need to
rehabilitate
and reconcile”.396
725.
After a
discussion about Basra, Dr Rubaie proposed establishing regular
round
table
discussions between key Iraqi and UK leaders in Baghdad and Basra.
Sir Nigel
thought
this should go ahead. Mr Blair agreed.397
726.
On 13 April, a
Cabinet Office official told Mr Blair that an International
Compact
would be
launched on 3 May, followed by a “Neighbours Plus Ministerial
meeting” the
next day
(see Section 10.2).398
The Iraqi
Government was expected to use that as an
opportunity
to urge international partners to pledge investment and consider
further debt
relief for
Iraq.
727.
The official
wrote that “encouraging investment in the current security
environment,
and in the
absence of any real progress on the reconciliation
agenda,
will be difficult”.
Against
that point, Mr Blair wrote “this is the key”.
394
Minute
Thomas to CJO, 12 April 2007, ‘COS HQ HMDMND(SE) – Southern Iraq
Update –
12 April
2007’.
395
Letter
Cabinet Office [junior official] to Hickey, 12 April 2007, ‘Iraq:
Nigel Sheinwald’s Conversation with
Barham
Saleh, 12 April’.
396
Letter
Cabinet Office [junior official] to Hickey, 12 April 2007, ‘Iraq:
Nigel Sheinwald’s Conversation with
Muaffaq al
Rubaie, 12 April’.
397
Manuscript
comment Blair on Letter Cabinet Office [junior official] to Hickey,
12 April 2007, ‘Iraq:
Nigel
Sheinwald’s Conversation with Muaffaq al Rubaie, 12
April’.
398
Letter
Cabinet Office [junior official] to Prime Minister, 13 April 2007,
‘Iraq Update, 13 April’ including
manuscript
comment Blair.
136