10.3 |
Reconstruction: oil, commercial interests, debt relief, asylum and
stabilisation policy
777.
The Cabinet
Office subsequently advised Mr Brown that between 25
and
30 companies
had expressed a serious interest in exploring investment
opportunities
778.
Mr Nick
McInnes, Director of UKTI’s International Group, briefed UKTI
colleagues
on 3 May
2008 on the growing pressure from the British Embassy Baghdad and
the
MOD for a
larger UKTI presence in Baghdad.467
Their
arguments for that were:
•
the
increased interest in Iraq from UK companies;
•
the
likelihood that Mr Brown’s economic initiatives would
stimulate further
interest;
and
•
the
possibility of sales of UK military equipment to Iraq.
779.
DFID advised
members of the Iraq Strategy Group (ISG) on 8 May that
several
companies
that had attended the reception had expressed an interest in
visiting Iraq.468
DFID was
working with MOD to arrange this. DFID cautioned that there was
still work
to be
done to secure the correct conditions for inwards investment, and
such investment
was
unlikely to start flowing in the immediate future.
780.
UKTI and DFID
officials met on 21 May, at DFID’s request, to discuss
UKTI’s
interests
in Iraq.469
Mr Paul
Taylor, Head of the UKTI’s Middle East Department,
reported
to
Mr Andrew Cahn, UKTI Chief Executive, that DFID had said it
would be difficult for
DFID to
handle the “investment visits” which had emerged from
Mr Brown’s 28 April
reception.
DFID did not have the appropriate expertise and, more importantly,
under the
International
Development Act, it could not favour UK companies by providing them
with
such
support. DFID officials had asked UKTI to reinstate a UK Commercial
Officer post
in Baghdad.
Mr Taylor had said that UKTI was highly unlikely to be able to
find funding
for such a
post.
781.
Mr Taylor
reported to Mr Cahn on 2 July that a DFID proposal to fund a
UK
Commercial
Officer post in Baghdad from the Stabilisation Aid Fund (SAF) had
not
proved
viable.470
The
pressure remained on UKTI to increase its presence in
Baghdad.
782.
In response,
Mr Cahn stated his strong opposition to reinstating a
UK-based
Commercial
Officer post in Baghdad.471
783.
The 11
September meeting of the ISG, chaired by Mr Simon
McDonald,
Mr Brown’s
Foreign Policy Adviser, discussed the need for a UKTI presence in
Iraq.472
466
Minute
Cabinet Office [junior official] to Prime Minister, 30 April 2008,
‘Iraq: Meeting with Petraeus and
Crocker, 1
May 2008’.
467
Email
McInnes to Haird, 3 May 2008, ‘Resourcing Commercial Work in
Iraq’.
468
Letter DFID
[junior official] to Cabinet Office [junior official], 8 May 2008,
‘Iraq Strategy Group, 28 April –
Response to
DFID Action Points’.
469
Email
Taylor to Cahn, 21 May 2008, ‘UKTI and Iraq: Meeting with DFID – 21
May 2008’.
470
Email
Taylor to Cahn, 2 July 2008, ‘Resourcing Trade and Investment Work
in Iraq’.
471
Email Cahn
to Taylor, 4 July 2008, ‘Resourcing Trade and Investment in
Iraq’.
472
Letter Lyon
to McDonald, 15 September 2008, ‘Iraq Strategy Group, 11
September’.
489