The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
388.
A CIG Current
Assessment Note issued on 1 April stated:
“Iraq’s
increased sovereignty and security are giving it the confidence to
become
more
assertive towards Iran. The Iraqi-US Security Agreement was the
clearest
example of
Iraq putting its interests first.”156
389.
The note
reported an apparent increase in Iraqi popular criticism of
Iran.
Nevertheless,
the CIG judged that Prime Minister Maliki was not yet likely to
risk
antagonising
Iran.
390.
Lord Mandelson
visited Basra on 6 April, accompanied by a UK business
delegation
and Mr Wareing, to attend an investment conference at Basra
Airport.157
391.
Mr Nigel
Haywood, British Consul General in Basra, reported the event to the
FCO
and
commented that it had been “timed perfectly” so that the UK could
“demonstrate that
whilst the
military were drawing down, the UK’s commitment to Basra
continued”. The
event is
addressed in more detail in Section 10.2.
392.
On 19 April,
the Council of Representatives elected Tawafuq MP
Mr Iyad
al‑Samarri’e
as its new Speaker, filling the vacancy left by Dr Mashhadani’s
resignation
in December
2008.158
Mr Prentice
commented that this marked another important step
along the
path to embedding Iraq’s democratic system.
393.
Mr Hutton
wrote to Mr Brown on 20 April setting out the plans to mark
the
completion
of the UK’s current military mission in Iraq, including a report to
Parliament
on the
deliverables set out in Mr Brown’s statement of 18
December.159
Mr Hutton
wrote that:
“Prime
Minister Maliki’s visit and the London Conference are the next key
milestones
for our
overall bilateral relationship with Iraq. Excellent progress by UK
and Iraq
forces
means that 30 April will now … see the completion of our current
military
mission – a
month ahead of previous plans … We also hope by then to have
signed
the
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) we need to cover the enduring
military
activity …
agreed in February. You and Maliki could highlight this at your
joint press
conference
as an example of how the transition in our relations you set out to
the
House in
December has been implemented.”
394.
Mr Hutton
explained that after 30 April the main UK activity under Op TELIC
would
be “the
Royal Navy’s protection of Iraqi oil platforms and territorial
waters, while also
training
the Iraqi Navy and Marines to take on this task in due course”.
Officer training,
156
CIG Current
Assessment Note, 1 April 2009, ‘Iraqi Relations with
Iran’.
157
eGram
12607/09 Basra to FCO London, 7 April 2009, ‘Iraq: Lord Mandelson’s
Visit to Basra, 6 April’.
158
eGram
13869/09 Baghdad to FCO London, 20 April 2009, ‘Iraq: Iyad
al-Sammari’e Elected COR
Speaker’.
159
Letter
Hutton to Brown, 20 April 2009, ‘Iraq: End of Current Military
Mission’.
448