The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
also to
stopping the crippling, continuing purges of middle‑ranking
managers in key
263.
In August
2006, the British Embassy Bagdad reported to the FCO some
changes
at the
de‑Ba’athification Commission.211
A new
Acting Chair, Sheikh Jalal al‑Din
al‑Sagheer,
had been appointed and the Commission’s Legal Department had
begun
work on a
new law for the structure and administration of the Commission,
including the
process for
appointing its Chair. Sheikh Sagheer told the Embassy:
“He was
aware that both the policy and the structure of the Commission had
been
subject to
heavy criticism from many quarters and expected the new legislation
to
address
those concerns. He asked for HMG’s input on how the current system
could
be
improved.”
264.
Mr Ali
Faisal Alami, the Director General of the Commission’s Follow‑Up
and
Implementation
Department, told Embassy officials that 10,924 orders had been
issued
by the
Commission, of which 6,788 had been implemented.
265.
When the Iraq
Strategy Group met on 15 September, Ms Bridget Brind,
Deputy
Head of the
IPU, gave an update on reconciliation work by the Iraqi
Government.212
She
reported
that:
“A
conference with tribal leaders had taken place in August, and
future conferences
were
scheduled with civil society, party leaders and armed groups. As
yet, there
were no
firm plans on the big issues of de‑Ba’athification and
detainees.”
266.
In an Interim
Progress Report on Prime Minister Maliki’s Government, in
October
2006, the
JIC judged that:
“In the
current political and security climate, key Sunni concerns are not
being
addressed.
There has been no significant change in de‑Ba’athification
policies,
they remain
highly suspicious of SCIRI’s federalist aspirations, little action
has
been taken
against the Shia militias, and the total number of detainees has
not
significantly
changed.”213
267.
On 8 November,
the British Embassy Baghdad reported “Indications that the
door
may be
opening to a less stringent de‑Ba’athification process” and sent
“proposals for
how we
engage” to the FCO in London.214
210
eGram
32790/06 IPU to Baghdad, 27 July 2006, ‘Iraq: Reply to Your
Valedictory’.
211
eGram
36238/06 Baghdad to FCO London, 20 August 2006, ‘Iraq: Changes at
the De‑Ba’athification
Commission’.
212
Letter
Cabinet Office [junior official] to Sheinwald, 18 September 2006,
‘Iraq Strategy Group,
15 September’.
213
JC
Assessment, 5 October 2006, ‘Al‑Maliki’s Government: Interim
Progress Report’.
214
eGram
49594/06 Baghdad to FCO London, 8 November 2006, ‘Iraq:
De‑Ba’athification Developments’.
50