10.3 |
Reconstruction: oil, commercial interests, debt relief, asylum and
stabilisation policy
616.
On 14 March,
Mr Straw marked Baroness Symons’ letter to Mr Simon
McDonald,
his
Principal Private Secretary, with the comment:
“This is
really important. Please make sure it is factored into Mike
O’Brien’s
discussions
and that a senior official … takes a personal lead on
this.”361
617.
Later that
day, Mr McDonald instructed Mr Chilcott that Baroness
Symons’
concerns
should be factored into the IPU’s follow up to Mr O’Brien’s
discussions in
618.
A No.10
official sent Mr Blair a note on reconstruction contracts on
15 March, at his
request.363
The note
reported the conclusions of Mr O’Brien’s meeting with
Mr Natsios on
13
March.
619.
Ms Hewitt
spoke to Mr Natsios by telephone the following week, to lobby
for UK
620.
The Coalition
began military action against Iraq on the night of 19-20 March
2003.
621.
Mr Antony
Phillipson, Counsellor (Trade and Transport) at the British
Embassy
Washington,
summarised the effect of recent UK lobbying of the US in a report
to
Mr Allan
on 24 March.365
Mr Natsios
had told both Mr O’Brien and Ms Hewitt that UK
companies
would have the opportunity to bid for subcontracts, that USAID
would
sponsor UK
companies to secure the necessary security clearances, and that UK
bids
for
subcontracts would be welcomed. UK companies could not bid for
primary contracts.
622.
Mr Phillipson
reported that he had followed up those discussions with a
meeting
with a
USAID official, who:
“…
reiterated the assurances that … Natsios had given that the UK will
get a bite
at the
cherry when the subcontracts came up. The US prime [contractor]
would be
instructed
to this effect and [the USAID official] could not be more blunt
than to say
that ‘the
fix is in’.”
623.
ORHA would
undertake the detailed assessments of the subcontracts; it had
also
been told
of the need to include the UK in the process.
624.
Mr Phillipson
advised that the next step was to translate that “political
assurance”
into
practice. The “Buy America” provisions and the inclusion of a list
of US standards
and
specifications in the USAID “mother contract” were a cause for
concern. The best
361
Manuscript
comment Straw, 14 March 2003, on Minute Symons to Straw and Hewitt,
[undated],
‘Iraq:
Commercial Aspects’.
362
Minute
McDonald to Chilcott, 14 March 2003, ‘Iraq: Commercial
Aspects’.
363
Minute
Cannon to Prime Minister, 15 March 2003, ‘Iraq: Reconstruction
Contracts’.
364
Observer, 23
March 2003, Hewitt begs
US for Iraq deals.
365
Minute
Phillipson to Allan, 24 March 2003, ‘Iraq: Contracts’.
467