Labour MPs Ann Clwyd and Sharon Hodgson raise role of UK forces in supporting Iraqi democratisation

The following took place in the Commons on 4th July

9. Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley) (Lab): What contribution UK armed forces have made to the reconstruction effort in Iraq.

15. Mrs. Sharon Hodgson (Gateshead, East and Washington, West) (Lab): What assessment he has made of the contribution of UK armed forces to the development of democratic and sustainable political structures in Iraq.

The Secretary of State for Defence (John Reid): I am sure the whole House will wish to express our condolences to the family of Signaller Paul Didsbury of 21 Signals Regiment, who tragically died on duty in Iraq on 29 June.

British forces are in Iraq at the request of the Iraqi Government as part of the multinational effort to help the Iraqi people achieve stability, democracy and prosperity. Our role is to support the Iraqi Government through providing security. This protects the development of democratic government and institutions and physical reconstruction.

Ann Clwyd: As a frequent visitor to Iraq, I pay tribute to the humanitarian effort of the British military, including the Royal Regiment of Wales, in which some of my constituents serve, in rebuilding schools and hospitals and constructing water supplies. The Iraqi people give the same message every time I go there, which is to ask us to stay the course.

John Reid: I give double thanks to my hon. Friend for that. First, I congratulate her on, and thank her for, her personal commitment and contribution to Iraq over many years. Secondly, by remarking on the role that our servicemen and women have played in the reconstruction of Iraq—as they have, in many details—alongside building up the Iraqi security forces and alongside counter-terrorism, she pays the type of compliment that is constantly paid to our troops in Iraq itself, where they receive great gratitude. It is a pity, and in some ways a tragedy, as they remarked to me when I visited them, that they do not receive the same gratitude and praise in some of our media at home.

Mrs. Hodgson: Will my right hon. Friend provide more information on how UK forces are improving the capacity of the Iraqi security forces to defend human rights, which is vital to Iraqis democratising their country after decades of fascism, and allowing grass-roots organisations, such as women's groups and trade unions, to play their full role?

John Reid: My hon. Friend is right. Our forces are contributing to that in two ways. First, they are contributing towards the training of Iraqi security forces. They also make it plain that, like any other democratic sovereign nation, the Iraqis must take responsibility for the conduct of their security forces. That is why when anything goes wrong, or allegations are made about the misuse of such power, we raise that idea constantly. Secondly, by helping to provide 170,000 trained Iraqi security forces, which for the first time is a greater number than the multinational forces in Iraq, they provide the security framework within which the democratic institutions of Iraq can function. That is happening slowly, but steadily. There have been improvements in both security and politics in Iraq. It is not because the Iraqis themselves are not succeeding that furious and frantic terrorist attacks and the murder of innocent civilians have taken place. They have occurred precisely because the Iraqis, with our support, are succeeding in taking democratic control of their own country.