The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
intimidation
of the electorate or political assassinations”. The ISF’s ability
to maintain
security
after the MNF’s departure would depend on:
•
continued
improvements in capabilities;
•
loyalty to
the state;
•
effective
reconciliation of Shia insurgents;
•
any
resurgence of AQ-I; and
•
popular
trust.
298.
The
development of the ISF is addressed in more detail in Section
12.1.
299.
Mr Brown
visited Baghdad and Basra on 17 December accompanied by
ACM
Stirrup.113
During the
trip Mr Peter Watkins, MOD Director General Operational
Policy,
briefed
Mr Brown on the latest security agreement developments. ACM
Stirrup’s Military
Adviser
reported that he had been “clear that the final text had to ensure
that ‘our people
must not be
subject to legal proceedings in Iraq’” and was “adamant
that ‘we
must have
written
legal confirmation for the spectrum of … operations’”.
Mr Watkins was fairly
confident
that the law would complete its third reading by 30
December.
300.
Mr Brown
met Prime Minister Maliki in Baghdad on 17
December.114
He
confirmed
that the UK
wanted to “finish the tasks we had set” and to “see Iraq in full
control”.
It would be
important to ensure that the public in the UK and Iraq knew about
the
successes
that had been achieved. Mr Brown said that he intended to tell
Parliament
that UK
forces would conclude their mission by 31 May and withdraw by 31
July.
301.
Prime Minister
Maliki said he was grateful for what the UK had achieved.
Thanks
to military
co-operation, terrorism had been confronted in Iraq. The UK and
Iraq would
need to
work together on the basis for the future involvement of UK forces
in Iraq. His
preference
was for an MOU or exchange of letters, although he understood that
this
would not
be legally binding. Once the arrangements had been agreed, it would
be
important
to move to a broader bilateral relationship between the two
countries.
302.
On 18
December, Mr Brown made a statement in the House of Commons
on
“the future
of British troops in Iraq, the timetables, our legal agreements and
our force
303.
Mr Brown
set out progress against the key tasks he had described in his
statement
on 22 July
and told MPs:
“Yesterday
in Baghdad, I told Prime Minister Maliki, and he agreed, that
British
forces in
Iraq should have time to finish the missions I have just
outlined.”
113
Minute Kyd
to PS/SofS [MOD], 18 December 2008, ‘CDS Visit to Iraq 17 Dec
08’.
114
Letter
Catsaras to Gould, 18 December 2008, ‘Prime Minister’s Meeting with
Iraqi Prime Minister,
17 December’.
115
House of
Commons, Official
Report, 18
December 2008, columns 1233-1250.
430