US Labor Against the War on New Hadi Saleh Book

Speaking at the launch of the book at the House of Commons today, co-author Abdullah Muhsin of the Iraqi Workers Federation said: Iraqs economy was pulverized by Saddams wars, bled by sanctions and further devastated by the invasion, looting and rampant corruption. Iraqs economy needs emergency investment and widespread reconstruction. Free and independent unions will play an important role in making sure investment in Iraq provides quality jobs and decent public services.

'But unions are also important in forming Iraq's democratic future and national identity. Our independence makes us a home to all Iraqis irrespective of gender, ethnicity and religion. Unions are an antidote to the sectarian poisons of extremism in Iraq.

For the full story, click here.

Hadi Saleh Never Died

Probably the first song about trade unions I ever heard began with the words "I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night." Those words have been an inspiration the authors of new book just published by the Trades Union Congress in Britain called "Hadi Never Died". The book is a tribute to Hadi Saleh, the international secretary of Iraq's new, independent trade union movement, who was murdered in January 2005 by masked gunmen who burst into his Baghdad home. But it is much more than a tribute: it is a beautifully illustrated volume packed with history, anecdotes and analysis. It tells the story of the Iraqi working class and its struggle for freedom -- both under the Saddam dictatorship and under the occupation. Profits from the sale of the book go the TUC's solidarity fund in support of the Iraqi unions. Please make sure your union orders several copies today:

http://www.tuc.org.uk/publications/viewPub.cfm?frmPubID=479

Friends in need

Article in Progress Magazine

The Red House in Sulamani, in Iraqi Kurdistan, is scarred by bullets and the rusting hulks of Soviet tanks. It was once one of a string of bleak torture centres throughout Saddam Hussein’s fascist-type regime.

The Red House is now a museum run by former prisoners who survived torture – the blood stained ropes and electrodes are displayed and 5,000 people perished there. I lost count of the detainees we met who now lead this beautiful and surprisingly cheerful part of Iraq.

I was in Iraqi Kurdistan on a delegation to meet trade unions. In between visiting ministers, schools, factories and parties, we held key meetings with Iraqi trade union leaders who had come from Basra, Babel and Baghdad, and also with the separate but fraternal Kurdistan Workers’ Union.

They each described how they had wrenched a devastated movement from nowhere to a million people throughout Iraq, with all the usual paraphernalia of union actions: bargaining, strikes, demonstrations and campaigns to increase the minimum wage. We attended a Unison-sponsored training session on bargaining, which was just the same as here, bar the language.

They argued that the trade unions are a vital bedrock of non-sectarianism, and they are determined to help rebuild Iraq as a democratic and federal society.

Support for free unions is advanced by President Bush, our government and the new Iraqi constitution, but ministers have frozen union assets while they draw up a new labour code in what union leaders fear is an effort to create client sectarian unions.

Furthermore, Saddam’s ban on public sector unions remains. Given that 80 per cent of the economy is state-owned, this is a huge impediment and should be reversed.

Union leaders have to go to internet cafes and cannot freely organise and play a full role in reconstructing Iraq. The international labour movement should provide temporary funding so that the Iraqi Workers’ Federation can publish its monthly newspaper.

Our visit was hosted by the Kurdistan Workers’ Union, whose leaders showed us two major cities and the mountains. There’s an old saying that the Kurds have no friends but the mountains. Time and time again, the people and their Peshmerga fighters have sought safety there. Iraqi Kurdistan has had more time to rebuild, thanks to its effective autonomy from Saddam after the uprising in 1991, but has only enjoyed stability in recent years.

The area has not been entirely immune from terror. We visited the statue in Erbil to the 98 victims of two terror attacks in 2004. The inscription says simply: ‘Freedom is not free’, which it certainly isn’t judged by the constant roadblocks and guards – I also lost count of the Kalashnikovs I saw.

The long legacy of fascism lingers in the bodies of those who survived Saddam’s genocidal chemical campaign. We were near Halabja, one of thousands of villages chemically bombarded in an onslaught that claimed 182,000 lives. There is an above-average incidence of cancer and leukaemia, but neither specialist clinics nor the foreign exchange to buy medicine and treatment abroad.

There is also a dwarfs’ association, thanks to Saddam’s toxic overhang, as well as a disproportionate number of orphans, widows and people with physical and mental disabilities.

The war-torn command economy is struggling. We visited a cigarette factory that employs several hundred people but has not produced a single fag in years. Tarmac roads suddenly become dirt tracks. School classes can exceed 100 pupils. Electricity is intermittent, even in the poshest places. Petrol is sold by the roadside.

Union leaders and ministers asked us to encourage foreign investment, because trade unions cannot prosper without jobs and, as the local Communist party leader put it, there’s no national capitalist class. External assistance to the unions can equip them as a strong social partner to protect workers’ interests.

And there is much investment potential here. The breathtakingly beautiful mountains could be a rich source of tourism once terrorism is defeated. There are minerals to be exploited, including gold, copper and oil. The same is true of the rest of Iraq.

The trade unions and what we call grassroots Iraq could help hold the country together, with a little help from their friends, and use its oil wealth and intellectual capital to benefit its people and regional democratisation. It would be an error of historic proportions if the left failed to help the Iraqi unions in their hour of need.

Gary Kent
is the director of Labour Friends of Iraq.

Daily Mirror on Hadi Saleh

Keivn Maguire reports on Hadi Never Died in the Daily Mirror
19,July 2006

IRAQI trade union leader Hadi Saleh was tortured and killed by assassins said to be loyal to Saddam Hussein.

A book commemorating efforts to rebuild unions in Iraq will be launched today in the Commons by his widow and TUC general secretary Brendan Barber.
The war is a disaster, but Hadi's death reminds us militants are killing countrymen who are working for a fairer Iraq.

The UK and US can't avoid responsibility. The TUC was all over the place on the war, but deserves praise for trying to help win peace.

Kevin Maguire

Union murders threaten Iraqs future

Buy a copy of Hadi Never Died online. All profits go to the TUC Iraq Appeal

Peace, economic growth and jobs in Iraq are being jeopardised by a wave of murders of trade unionists and key workers, the TUC said as they launch a book on the history of Iraq unions.

'Hadi Never Died: Hadi Saleh and the Iraqi Trade Unions', commemorates the International Secretary of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (now the Iraqi Workers Federation - IWF) who last January was tortured and murdered in his home by assassins loyal to Saddam Hussein. Hadi Saleh had returned to Iraq from exile to begin rebuilding the trade union movement after the fall of Saddam, who had violently suppressed independent trade unions for over forty years.

Hadi's murder sparked a wave of assassinations of trade union leaders and members by terrorists who also target workers in key sectors, such as teachers, to prevent the social justice and stability unions are striving for (see list of recent murders below). Profits from the book will support Iraqi unions that are also facing attacks from the Iraqi Government which has refused to lift Saddam's ban on unions in the public sector and adopt international labour rights protections. And the TUC has led global protests against powers the Government introduced to take control of unions and freeze their assets.

Speaking at the launch of the book at the House of Commons today, co-author Abdullah Muhsin of the Iraqi Workers Federation said: 'Iraq's economy was pulverized by Saddam's wars, bled by sanctions and further devastated by the invasion, looting and rampant corruption. Iraq's economy needs emergency investment and widespread reconstruction. Free and independent unions will play an important role in making sure investment in Iraq provides quality jobs and decent public services.

'But unions are also important in forming Iraq's democratic future and national identity. Our independence makes us a home to all Iraqis irrespective of gender, ethnicity and religion. Unions are an antidote to the sectarian poisons of extremism in Iraq.'

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber, who wrote the book's foreword, said:
'Hadi Saleh faced exile, persecution and death for bravely fighting to give people the choice to have a collective voice at work. I saw Hadi barely a month before he was murdered and his murder was a terrible shock.

'Trade unions members are being murdered in Iraq at an alarming rate by people who do not want to see a free, peaceful, fair and prosperous Iraq. And unions are being attacked by a Government that feels threatened by their independence from religion and ethnic groupings. The TUC will continue to support our sister unions in Iraq and put pressure on the UK Government to use their power to give Iraqi workers the free and independent unions they have been denied for so long.'

Ali Hassan Abd of the Oil and Gas Workers' Union was shot in front of his children in February 2005. Ahmed Adris Abas of the Transport and Communication Workers' Union was shot dead in Martyrs' Square in Baghdad. Talib Khadim, a leading IWF official was attacked and kidnapped, as was Saady Edan, the head of our Mosul branch. In May, Thabet Ali of the Health Sector Union was murdered in Baghdad. Last month alone, Shukry Al Shakhly, a founder member of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions, was murdered in Baghdad, 85 workers were kidnapped from the Al Nasar complex and in Taji seven workers were executed. At least ten members of the Union of Mechanics, Printing and Metalworkers were killed. A few weeks ago a suicide bomber killed Hassen Nassar, a leader of the Agricultural and Foodstuff Workers' Union in Baghdad.

'Hadi Never Died: Hadi Saleh and the Iraqi Trade Unions', by Abdullah Muhsin and Alan Johnson, Labour Friends of Iraq and editor of www.democratiya.com
is available from www.tuc.org.uk/publications or 020 7467 1294, for £10 (bulk discounts). Profits will go to the TUC Aid for Iraq Appeal.

Healthcare spending across Iraq is up more than 30 times on pre-war levels

The Secretary of State for International Development was asked in a written question what steps his Department is taking to provide emergency medical supplies for children in Iraq. His reply is as follows.

Hilary Benn: The Iraqi health care system faces enormous challenges which long pre-date the 2003 conflict. In the early 1980s, Iraq enjoyed some of the best healthcare in the Middle East. However, by 2000, international health indicators for Iraq were comparable with some of the poorest countries in Africa. Under-five mortality had increased from 50 per 1,000 in 1990 to 133 in 2001. One in four children under five were chronically malnourished. Hospitals, clinics and water and sanitation plants suffered from chronic lack of maintenance.

DFID has given most of its assistance to the Iraqi health sector through financial contributions to international organisations that have particular expertise in health. These contributions include:

£5 million to the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has helped to fund the delivery of emergency medical supplies, supported clinics and hospitals in Baghdad and Basra, and supports the Iraqi Government's Health Sector Working Group. More information can be found at http://www.who.int/en.
£32 million to the International Red Cross for immediate humanitarian assistance

£70 million to the United Nations and World Bank multi-donor trust funds for Iraq. These trust funds finance reconstruction in a number of areas including health. The UN trust fund has approved 10 health and nutrition projects, in total valued at $96 million. The World Bank trust fund also has a $25 million health rehabilitation project which finances priority emergency services, including basic medical equipment and essential drugs. More information on both trust funds can be found at http://www.irffi.org

However, many challenges still remain and DFID and the international community will continue to work with the Iraqi authorities help them to rebuild the health sector.

Important progress has been made: healthcare spending across Iraq is up more than 30 times on pre-war levels; 5 million children have been vaccinated, and diseases such as polio, measles and malaria have declined; and 240 hospitals and 1,200 primary health centres are functioning; 20 hospitals are being rehabilitated and a paediatric hospital is being built in Basra.

Abdullah Muhsin explains why Hadi Salehs work must live on

Iraqs trade union movement was once one of the largest and strongest in the Arab world, but its independence was brutally crushed by Saddam Husseins regime, leaving a yellow union structure in its place which worked for the regime rather than for working people.

A group of clandestine and exiled activists kept the notion of free and independent unions alive, at a great cost, during Saddam's bloody reign. One of their leaders was Hadi Saleh, who returned to Iraq prior to the 2003 invasion to rebuild the trade union movement and who took on the role of international secretary.

Hadi was brutally tortured and murdered in Baghdad in January 2005 and, today, the TUC is publishing a booklet which tells his story and that of the Iraqi trade union movement in which he played such a leading role.

Following the fall of Saddam's dictatorship, on May 16 2003, Hadi and other activists in the Workers' Democratic Trade Union Movement formed the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) with over 200,000 members.

Last September, the IFTU agreed to merge with other smaller federations - successors of the state-run unions whose leaders had renounced Saddam's brand of Ba'athism and another supported by Islamic parties to form the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW).

This merged organisation, which does not cover Iraqi Kurdistan, where unions have been operating freely for a decade and a half, has been recognised by the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions as well as the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, to which the TUC belongs. Other trade unions in Iraq based on professions, like the teachers' union, are working closely with the GFIW on issues such as labour laws.

The GFIW is striving to build independent, democratic and pluralistic unions and believes that workers should be free to join the union of their choice. We are campaigning for a labour code that adheres to the ILO core conventions and we are campaigning for economic, social and political advances. We want unions positioned to engage fully not only over pay and working conditions but as a key partner in the formation and consolidation of a federal, prosperous and democratic Iraq controlling its own future.

Given the tragic history of Iraq and its labour movement and, now, also the threat of extremism, the new Iraq must be built on three pillars - a strong state based on democratic governance, a vibrant civil society in which unions will play a key role and a growing economy based on social justice.

All of this is being constructed, but requires careful handling by Iraq's accountable government and elected assembly. Social partnership between the Iraqi state, its people and the international community is essential for the success of the project of the democratisation of Iraq.

Civil society must be encouraged to develop independently of state and political influence. Unions are the heart of civil society and should not be hindered by Iraq's government - we need a new labour code to replace Saddam's and we need to be freed from state intervention as provided for by the infamous Decree 8750 of last summer.

Unions are not the voice of a single ideology, but are the glue that binds different communities together for the improvement of social, economic and political conditions. Free and independent unions in Iraq are fundamental to Iraqi stability and security. The GFIW is one of the few civil society organisations - and by far the largest - which organises regardless of race, nationality and religion, gender and ethnicity.

Hadi Saleh campaigned for all this and more, both in his years of exile after imprisonment and a death sentence, which was eventually carried out in the most gruesome fashion.

Since his death, the attempts by extremists to silence the Iraqi trade union movement and workers generally have intensified.

Independent trade unions are considered a threat because they represent stability and secularism but also because they are an alternative centre of power. Workers loyal to their unions are less easy for other people to control.

Workers generally suffer from the terrorist attacks, which are often reported as mere sectarianism by the Western media.

Teachers are attacked for teaching about human rights, workers in essential industries are attacked for alleged collaboration with the state, when what they are doing is providing the public services that ordinary Iraqis need.

Hadi's legacy is a free, independent trade union movement in a free, independent Iraq. By remembering his legacy, the TUC is promoting those objectives and they will be using the booklet that Alan Johnson and I have written to raise awareness and also funds so that the fledgling Iraqi trade union movement can pursue those objectives on behalf of the workers - all the workers - of Iraq.

- Hadi Never Died: Hadi Saleh and the Iraqi Trade Unions by Abdullah Muhsin and Labour Friends of Iraq publications director and www.democratiya.com editor Alan Johnson is available online at www.tuc.org.uk/publications or by phone on (020) 7467-1294 for £10. Bulk discounts are available. Profits will go to the TUC Aid for Iraq Appeal.

Hadi never died

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber pays tribute to slain Iraqi trade union leader, Hadi Saleh as the TUC launches a booklet dedicated to his memory and the success of the Iraqi labour movement. Brendan Barber concludes: The so-called resistance and the religious fanatics are currently engaged in what some trade unionists there have described as genocide against workers. They are fairly clearly trying to stop trade unions from becoming a beacon for a secular, democratic, anti-sectarian and egalitarian civil society. I remember Hadi Saleh, and I want to make sure they fail.

Tehran conference optimism

The Arab League General Secretary is attending a two day meeting of Iraqs neighbour states. He has indicated that he is hopeful that recent developments, and plans to support the Iraqi nation, will result in security and stability (Dave Spector).

Iraqi holiday resorts become victims of own success

Arabs are now flocking to the Kurdish regions of Iraq but in some cases this has led to a trebling of prices. (Dave Spector)

Internet freedom replaces clubs and restaurants

During Saddams rule only a few government officers were allowed access to the Internet. Now it has become a symbol of freedomas well as a relatively safe form of entertainment (Dave Spector)

Iraqi Association on 7/7

London One Year Later

The people affected by the bombs last July were Christians, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus and people of no particular religion! - This has proved once and for all that terrorism does not have a religion. Said Jabbar Hasan, director of Iraqi Association in London.

The foreign policy of a democracy should be determined only by an elected government and its parliament. It is unacceptable even to imply, let alone to assert, that suicide-murderers and a bunch of bloodthirsty fanatics or their representatives acquire the right to any say in how matters are decided.

Last July Londoners received a taste of what life is like for Baghdadi people, whose Muslim faith does not protect them from slaughter at the hands of nihilists who think they are not Muslim enough, or are the wrong Muslim

As British Iraqis we are sick and tired to hear ludicrous arguments that Iraq was the motive behind this sadistic act. The whole argument is frankly pathetic! Bitterness towards government policies cannot justify killing of innocent people. The actions of four heinous cowards last July must be condemned by all. Can't we all just be humanists? You don't need to believe in a religion to have morals and ethics, said Jabbar Hasan.

We send our thoughts and prayers to all the family and friends who lost their loved ones last July, and to all the people who are still recovering from injuries. Life has to go on, not forgetting 7/7, but not being the prisoner of that date either.

Iraqi Association is an independent organisation established in 1987 to help Iraqis integrate successfully in this country. Every year the organisation deals with more than 10,000 cases.

An Iraqi view of a new social contract for the Middle East

The Ibn Alfridain website would indicate that some of our Prime Ministers opinions and comments are more popular as well as being more widely reported in Iraq than may be the case in Britain.

The need for doctors in Iraq

An editorial in the Baghdad newspaper Al Sabah highlights the expectations of those who live in a newly democratic , free country.

Dave Anderson raises Iraq solidarity issues in the Commons

LFIQ Chair Dave Anderson MP highlighted the need for full independence for Iraqi unions in the Commons with the Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, Nigel Griffiths.

Deputy Leader of the Commons, Nigel Griffiths MP meets Abdullah Muhsin, Sardar Mohamed, Dave Anderson and Gary Kent on the Terrace of the Commons.

Mr. David Anderson (Blaydon) (Lab): May I draw my hon. Friend’s attention to early-day motion 2145, which is in my name, on labour rights in Iraq?

[That this House applauds the recent Labour Friends of Iraq (LFIQ) delegation to Erbil and Sulamaniyah to meet unions, parties, and ministers from Iraqi Kurdistan as well as 22 union leaders from Baghdad, Basra and Babel; is concerned that Iraqi Ministers, through Decree 8750 of August 2005, have frozen the monies of unions including those affiliated to the Iraqi Workers' Federation, leaving organisations which represent up to a million Iraqis and which are the bedrock of a non-sectarian civil society unable to organise and play a positive role in both the workplace and in wider society; fears that some may create sectarian client unions; urges the British Government to make representations to the Iraqi government to lift Decree 8750 and the continuing ban, first introduced in 1987 by Saddam Hussein, on public sector trade union organisation; is concerned that this ban is the basis of hostile actions against the Port Workers' Union in Khour Al-Zubeir; further notes that the LFIQ delegation was told repeatedly by union leaders and others of the potential of private foreign investment in Iraqi Kurdistan, whose Parliament is keen to encourage investment, not least in tourism and mineral extraction; and believes that those concerned for Iraqi democracy should heed the call of the Iraqi unions for urgent assistance to retrieve their independence and to increase their power as a social partner in reconstructing Iraq, which has long been isolated from modern thinking and must contend with the enormous physical and psychological legacy of dictatorship, sanctions and war.]

May we have a debate about the ongoing injustice in Iraq of the so-called democratic Government continuing to deny rights to trade unions and to hold all trade union assets, in direct contravention of International Labour Organisation conventions?

Nigel Griffiths: The Government have made direct representations on the position of Iraqi trade unions and voiced similar concerns to those expressed by my hon. Friend. I know that he visited Iraq as part of a delegation and met Iraqi trade union leaders. I understand that that has been reciprocated and that they are here today—I hope to meet them later on with him. I hope to be able to assure them that we will continue to make representations on this issue. We firmly believe in the value of trade unions.

Dave Anderson also contributed to the debate on Armed Forces Personnel. He drew some lessons from the recent LFIQ delegation to Iraq.

He said, for instance, that “The Iraqis saw our Government and armed forces as forces for good, and we must listen to them. It is easy for us to be critical and to point the finger, but our armed forces went into Iraq to get rid of a tyrant who had spent the best part of 20 years trying to wipe out an entire race of people—the Kurds. In Sulaimaniya, we saw examples of the torture that had been inflicted. In a matter-of-fact building about the size of a supermarket, on the main street in the middle of town, people had been hung in chains and subjected to electric shocks. They had suffered almost every horror that one could imagine.

Thanks to the action taken by the British Government and their coalition partners in 1991 to establish the no-fly zone, and thanks also to the work that still goes on, the people in the Kurdistan area of Iraq have been able to build a fledgling democracy. They have a Parliament with 111 Members, and the fact that 29 of them are women puts our institution to shame. Without our intervention, that would not have happened: instead, 200,000 more people would have been killed, many thousands more would have been buried alive, tortured and persecuted, and many more villages would have been wiped off the face of the earth. That is what was happening, yet many in the world community were turning a blind eye.

I still have concerns about how we went to war, but people in the area believe that we did the right thing on their behalf. We must listen to what they say, and we should continue to do the right thing, which means that we should remain there.”

Full Text

Mr. David Anderson (Blaydon) (Lab): The debate about armed forces personnel is about real people. Like most other hon. Members, the real people that I knew in the armed forces were my relations, although I did not know my grandfather, who sadly died at the age of only 32 as a direct result of being poisoned with mustard gas in the Somme. I had two uncles, one of whom was a prisoner of war in Burma and made to work on the Burma railroad and another who, ironically, left the coal mines in 1928 because he hated working in them. He joined the Army and was taken prisoner at Dunkirk, fighting the rearguard action there. He ended up working in a Polish coal mine for four years. My father joined the RAF, but he was sent home after three days because, he was told, “You’ll do more important work back home digging coal, Geordie, than flying aeroplanes.”

I do not have any personal or professional experience in the forces, but in a debate about armed forces personnel, I have relevant recent experience of the impact that our forces are having on the lives of ordinary people facing massive, extraordinary problems in Iraq. We have not just sent our forces to Iraq to fight a battle for us and then leave. Would that we had done that—it might have been a different story.

Our armed forces personnel in Iraq have a very difficult job, as the local people recognise. In March, I was fortunate enough to lead a delegation of Labour movement people to Iraq. Most of us had been against the war, and I still believe that the debate on weapons of mass destruction was not a fair one. However, the people whom we met said that they did not want to talk about WMD, because they were worried about GRT—getting rid of a tyrant.

The Iraqis saw our Government and armed forces as forces for good, and we must listen to them. It is easy for us to be critical and to point the finger, but our armed forces went into Iraq to get rid of a tyrant who had spent the best part of 20 years trying to wipe out an entire race of people—the Kurds. In Sulaimaniya, we saw examples of the torture that had been inflicted. In a matter-of-fact building about the size of a supermarket, on the main street in the middle of town, people had been hung in chains and subjected to electric shocks. They had suffered almost every horror that one could imagine.

Thanks to the action taken by the British Government and their coalition partners in 1991 to establish the no-fly zone, and thanks also to the work that still goes on, the people in the Kurdistan area of Iraq have been able to build a fledgling democracy. They have a Parliament with 111 Members, and the fact that 29 of them are women puts our institution to shame. Without our intervention, that would not have happened: instead, 200,000 more people would have been killed, many thousands more would have been buried alive, tortured and persecuted, and many more villages would have been wiped off the face of the earth. That is what was happening, yet many in the world community were turning a blind eye.

I still have concerns about how we went to war, but people in the area believe that we did the right thing on their behalf. We must listen to what they say, and we should continue to do the right thing, which means that we should remain there.

The people of Kurdistan are very keen to develop links with the UK. They see us as their liberators and—

Madam Deputy Speaker: Order. I have allowed a degree of latitude in the debate, but I hope that the hon. Gentleman will now relate his remarks to armed forces personnel.

Mr. Anderson: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. My point is that, without the continued involvement of our armed forces in Iraq, the situation there would not be starting to improve. The real-life experience is that our troops are having a huge impact on people’s lives.

The people of Kurdistan want the UK to invest in their country. That is not happening yet, but we could use our military presence in a positive way. Our armed forces could protect UK businesses and investors, and provide security for people willing to put money into Kurdistan and work with the Government there. In that way, we could help spread democracy across the rest of Iraq. Our troops could play a very positive role in that respect. They could also help in our work with Kurds in this country, and thus provide more support for people in Iraq.

I have criticised Iraq’s Government in the past, and I remain critical of the fact that trade union rights are still denied to Kurds and Iraqis. However, if our troops had not gone into Iraq, the debate about trade union rights would not be taking place at all. There was no such thing as a trade union movement in that country before our troops gave people there the scope to develop democratic institutions and have legitimate democratic arguments. The continuing presence of our troops in Iraq is allowing that process to go on.

There has been much discussion about whether our armed forces should stay in Iraq. Last night, the general secretary of the Kurdistan workers syndicate spoke at a meeting in this House. He was asked whether the time had come to withdraw British troops from Iraq, but his unequivocal answer was that that would be a catastrophe. Although he wants our troops to leave Iraq at the earliest possible moment, he made it clear that that moment has not arrived. The time to leave will come when the job is done. We should recognise that and continue to support the work of our troops.

We should help all the peoples of Iraq to rebuild their country, so that they can play their part in bringing peace and stability to the wider middle east. We must continue to protect them and their families from those who would destroy them or halt their progress along the road to democracy and the creation of genuine democratic structures. I did not see one British soldier when I was in Kurdistan, but their work and effort and their impact on the country was clear for all to see. It could be seen in people’s confidence in the way forward.

My words are in no way an apology for the Government nor for the bad behaviour of individual members of the armed forces. We—the House—asked the armed forces to do a job on our behalf and on behalf of other people in the world. We should be proud of the job they are doing and support them in doing it.

Handover raises withdrawal hopes

Times Diplomatic Editor Richard Beeston suggests that the handover of an Iraqi province from British control to the elected Baghdad government may herald an exit strategy. (David Spector)

News roundup

David Spector brings some snippets that you may have missed

Some success in restoration of Iraq Marshes

The United Nations Environment Programme reports that 58% of the area has now been inundated, although there are doubts as to whether the original vegetation will return. Saddam drained the region because he considered that the population were ready to rebel against him following the 1991 Gulf War.

95% of looted treasures restored

Most of the items that were stolen from the Iraqi Museum after the invasion, have been restored but antiquities smuggling is still funding the insurgency.

School enrolment indicates *evidence of increased prosperity*

Under Saddam enrolment and literacy fell. These trends have been reversed for three consecutive years, with a 7.4% increase in children registered at schools.

Kurdish region attracts foreign investment aiming for Baghdad

Companies intending to invest in Baghdad are starting in the Kurdish region and waiting for security to prevail.

Iraqi Kurds fear that Channel 4 blocked documentary

Nick Cohen reports on suspicions that Channel Four will never show a documentary called Saddams Road To Hell, although twenty countries have already broadcast it. You can see it for yourself here (David Spector)