10.3 |
Reconstruction: oil, commercial interests, debt relief, asylum and
stabilisation policy
590.
A short
Cabinet Office paper offered Mr Blair a “few OD Sec points,
just in case
they slip
through the briefing”.344
Those
included:
“•
Agree the
importance of transparency in the use of oil revenues. Argue
for
a level
playing field for UK companies on new exploration
contracts.”
591.
The record of
the meeting between President Bush and Mr Blair does not
show
any
discussion of oil issues.345
592.
Officials from
TPUK, the FCO, the Export Credit Guarantee Department
(ECGD)
and a
representative from the British Consultants and Contractors Bureau
(BCCB) met
on 7
February to discuss post-conflict commercial
issues.346
593.
Following that
meeting, Mr Henderson provided a further update for
Baroness
Symons on
TPUK’s contingency planning. He advised that:
“Until now,
most of our [TPUK] meetings have involved only internal players,
and
have been
relatively low key, in view of our wish to avoid giving undue
prominence
to the
commercial aspects of HMG’s handling of the crisis. The
participation of
BCCB in
this meeting marked a new phase of our planning
process.”
594.
The meeting
had concluded that the assistance needed by UK companies
would
fall into
three categories:
•
During
“Stage 1”, a small number of UK companies would want UK
Government
help to
gain quick access to infrastructure that they had installed in
Iraq, as part
of the
humanitarian and reconstruction effort but also “to protect their
competitive
advantage”.
Planning would require close consultation with
the MOD.
•
During
“Stage 2”, TPUK would provide UK companies with
information
on
opportunities arising from the initial stages of the humanitarian
and
reconstruction
effort.
•
During
“Stage 3”, TPUK would help UK companies position themselves to
take
advantage
of short- and medium-term reconstruction contracts. Close
contact
with the US
would be a key factor.
595.
Mr Henderson
advised that UK companies were arguing strongly that the
UK
Government
should press the US Government to guarantee a “level playing field”
for UK
companies
on reconstruction contracts, including for oil and gas contracts.
Six business
representatives
had recently written to Baroness Symons, expressing their concern
that
the UK was
not extracting sufficient commercial advantage from its support for
the US.
344
Minute
Drummond to Rycroft, 28 January 2003, ‘Iraq: US
Visit’.
345
Letter
Manning to McDonald, 31 January 2003, ‘Iraq: Prime Minister’s
Conversation with President
Bush on 31
January’.
346
Minute
Henderson to Symons, 12 February 2003, ‘Iraq: Post-Conflict
Commercial Issues’.
463