The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
approach
would be for the Embassy and UK companies to focus on establishing
links
with the US
prime contractor (rather than continuing to lobby
USAID).
625.
Mr Allan
informed senior TPUK colleagues on 4 April that the BTI
official
seconded to
ORHA:
“… has a
full role to play in the Office of Reconstruction and
Humanitarian
Assistance
… However, his immediate priorities for us remain the
identification of
opportunities
for UK companies; bringing UK expertise to the attention of
ORHA;
and
identifying key contacts for UK companies. [He] has started to
identify openings
(e.g. oil
and gas; airports).”366
626.
The IPU
briefing for Mr Blair in advance of his 8 April meeting with
President Bush
at
Hillsborough advised:
“We need to
be able to demonstrate that UK company interests continue to
be
raised at
high levels. It would be helpful to say that UK companies remain
keen
to work
alongside US companies … UK companies have vast experience
and
knowledge
of doing business in the Middle East and have a great deal to
offer.”367
627.
The record of
the Hillsborough meeting does not show any exchange on
that
628.
Baroness
Symons met representatives of UK companies on 8 April to
discuss
commercial
opportunities in Iraq.369
A TPUK
official reported that she had made it clear
that the UK
was “not in this conflict for business opportunities”, but that UK
companies
had a great
deal of expertise and knowledge to offer and should be involved in
the
redevelopment
of Iraq.
629.
The official
reported that UK companies had raised a number of issues,
including:
•
DFID should
provide more information on its requirements, and should
not
overlook UK
companies;
•
DFID should
ring-fence reconstruction funds for UK companies, given the
unique
circumstances;
•
the
legality of working in Iraq without a UN mandate; and
•
whether the
requirement to meet US standards would prevent UK
companies
from
securing subcontracts.
366
Email Allan
to Henderson, 4 April 2003, ‘Iraq: Role of Sector Teams in
Supporting [junior official] and
Post-Conflict
Sector Activity’.
367
Letter Owen
to Rycroft, 7 April 2003, ‘Hillsborough: Iraq’ attaching Paper IPU,
6 April 2003,
‘Iraq:
Phase IV: authorising UNSCR’.
368
Letter
Rycroft to McDonald, 8 April 2003, ‘Iraq: Prime Minister’s meeting
with Bush, 7-8 April’.
369
Minute
Allan to PS/Baroness Symons, 8 April 2003, ‘Iraq: record of meeting
with UK companies’.
468