Commons Questions and Answers on Iraq

26 June

Iraq: Armed Conflict

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for recent trends in the levels of violence in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Dr. Howells: The security situation in Iraq varies from province to province. The security situation in Iraq has improved significantly over the course of the second half of 2007 and 2008. In and around Baghdad, violence has reduced to levels not seen since 2005.

There are a number of factors that have contributed towards the downturn in levels of violence across Iraq. The increased capacity and capability of the Iraqi security forces has had a positive impact in reducing levels of violence. Other factors include the surge of US forces and the emergence of predominantly Sunni tribal 'Awakening' Councils and Sons of Iraq/Concerned Local Citizens, who have turned against al-Qa'eda. The continued ceasefire declared by Moqtada al Sadr in August 2007 has also had a positive effect in the south, although we remain concerned about violence committed by militant elements linked to the Sadrist movement.

Iraq: Military Bases

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on a status of forces agreement permitting US forces to establish permanent military bases in Iraq and granting US forces immunity from Iraqi law; and if he will make a statement.

Dr. Howells: The US and the Government of Iraq are currently discussing the legal basis for the presence of US military forces following the expiry of UN Security Council Resolution 1790 mandate at the end of 2008. These discussions are essentially a matter for the two countries concerned. We are following their progress closely, however, and are in discussion with coalition partners and the Government of Iraq over our own legal requirements following the end of 2008, with a view to ensuring that our military (and civilian) assistance to Iraq remains on a sound legal footing.

Iraq: Politics and Government

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on development of a mainstream political party by Muqtada al-Sadr in Iraq if the Mahdi Army disbands; and if he will make a statement.

Dr. Howells: We encourage all communities in Iraq to engage with the political process and to turn their backs on violence. Political engagement by all sectors of Iraqi society will be crucial in achieving lasting progress on national reconciliation and we continue to support the Government of Iraq in efforts to achieve this goal.

However, we remain concerned that part of Muqtada al-Sadr's 13 June statement stated that his organisation would continue to attack coalition forces. As Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki has said, weapons should only be in the hands of the Iraqi security forces. Coalition forces are in Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government and under a UN mandate; they should be able to continue their job of helping to build a stable and secure Iraq without fear of attack.

British parliamentary group calls for UK to support Kurdistan Region as model for Iraq

18 Jun. 2008

London, UK (KRG.org) - A group of British parliamentarians yesterday published a report that calls for Britain to support the Kurdistan Region as a model for Iraq, whose success is in the interests of all those who want a peaceful and stable Middle East.

Members of the Kurdistan Region All Party Parliamentary Group announced the report, "The Kurdistan Region: Future Prospects", at a meeting yesterday in the House of Commons attended by Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir, the KRG's Head of Foreign Relations, and Ms Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the KRG's High Representative to the UK.

The report says, “The Kurdistan Region, as part of the wider federal Iraq, deserves a far higher degree of international attention and support to enable its people to finally fashion a peaceful, democratic and secular future. Its success is in the interests of all those who want a peaceful and stable Middle East."

The report, written following a fact-finding visit to the Kurdistan Region in Iraq by the MPs in February, makes eight recommendations for the British parliament, government and people to consider:

Support the federal, decentralised system in Iraq

Advocate the implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution on the disputed territories

Press Turkey to engage in talks with Erbil, Washington and Baghdad to find a lasting political solution to the PKK issue

Raise awareness of the genocide against the Kurds

Encourage British investment in various sectors of the economy and in English-language education

Support efforts to protect and empower women

Support the development of a free and professional media

Support and encourage links between the Kurdistan Region and UK academic institutions

Minister Bakir, speaking in the British parliament, thanked the MPs for their report, and said, "We were honoured that this UK parliamentary delegation took the time to visit the Kurdistan Region. This reports shows how important it is for delegations to visit the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to see for themselves the progress we are making and the model of success that we provide for the rest of Iraq.

He added, "The MPs’ recommendations are realistic and vital if we want to succeed in building a new democratic, federal and pluralistic Iraq that lives in peace with itself and with its neighbours. They are in line with the forward-looking vision of Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani in building a prosperous future for all. The Kurdistan Region and all of Iraq need political support, and we in the KRG hope that the British government and the international community seriously consider the report’s recommendations."

Ms Abdul Rahman added, "The parliamentary delegation met people from all walks of life during their visit. Their report is a good snapshot of the situation in Kurdistan as well as the aspirations of its people, its parliament and government. They make important and incisive recommendations and we hope the British government will follow through on the parliamentary group's advice."

The report, "The Kurdistan Region: Future Prospects", is available from appgkurdistan(at)gmail.com

Iraqi Association condemns bombs in Baghdad

Yesterday’s blast was the deadliest attack in Baghdad since March 6, when a pair of bombs detonated in the district of Karradah, killing 68 people and wounding about 120.

“Yesterday’s cowardly attack in Hurriyah district, in Baghdad, murdered 63 and wounded over 70 people, many women and children were among victims. We hope that this will not encourage further sectarian hate and violence”. Said Jabbar Hasan of Iraqi Association in Hammersmith and Fulham.

The explosion at a crowded bus station seemed timed to kill people heading home from work, as well as those leaving their homes to do evening shopping at the market that surrounds the bus station. The explosion, aimed to kill so many, raised the possibility that it was set off specifically to fan sectarian tensions. “This is simply an evil act.” Said Jabbar Hasan.

Hurriyah once had a large population of Sunnis, but sectarian hate and violence led by militias and extremists drove out thousands of Sunnis. The unresolved emotions from the bloodshed and convulsions that swept the district during those years poured out after Tuesday’s attack. But even amid the rage and anger, some residents said the solution was not vengeance, but for the
neighbourhood to go back to the way it was before the extremists, when Iraqis lived together regardless of sect.

We utterly condemns yesterday’s indiscriminate acts of terror, and we wish to convey our heartfelt sympathies to families of the victims and those who have been injured.

Iraqi Association is a non-sectarian organisation assists people to settle and integrate, and operates IraqChild appeal to provide aid and protection to children in Iraq.

It is a mad world

The Belfast Telegraph today reports that “More than 50 anti-war demonstrators protested outside the main gates of the Stormont estate after a demonstration in the centre of Belfast included the erection of an Iraqi flag on the City Hall.”

I wonder if they erected the old Iraqi flag representing Saddam Hussein’s genocidal regime. It would be odd if they used the flag of the new Iraq whose elected government is opposed to the demand for troops out now and is seeking to negotiate the continued presence of foreign troops albeit with several big arguments about the terms on which they stay.

As an organisation that emerged from the anti-war movement, we know that it was perfectly honourable to oppose the military intervention. Most of those who founded LFIQ did so. A minority favoured it but we united to seek to assist the new Iraq that is now, with some increasing success, seeking to establish the rule of law and set up a democratic and federal system for a country that was ravaged by decades of fascist-type rule, wars, repression and sanctions. It is high time that the remnants of the anti-war movement started to listen to Iraqis who have sadly become invisible, except on this occasion when their flag was badly misused.

Gary Kent
Director, LFIQ

British help for Iraqi security forces

Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress is being made on the mentoring, monitoring and training of Iraqi security forces in southern Iraq.

Des Browne: UK forces in southern Iraq continue to make very good progress in mentoring and training the Iraqi Security Forces. Our main focus is on developing the 14th Division of the Iraqi Army until it is fully operational. We have embedded a significant number of our people with that division in order to help achieve this, and our forces continue to provide a range of other support as well. The performance of 14th Division during recent operations in and around Basra demonstrates the continuing success of our approach.

16 Jun 2008 : Column 712W

Plight of the Iraqi interpreters

This letter appears in the Times today

You rightly highlight the plight of Iraqi interpreters who have resettled here (report, June 13). We saw for ourselves on a visit to Baghdad last month their invaluable role in building the new Iraqs relations with the outside world. This was our third visit to Iraq in the past two years from which we have come to understand the deep regard in Iraq for Britain, despite 20th-century history. This respect for the UK will be damaged unless we tackle the conditions of these brave interpreters.

Dave Anderson, MP
Gary Kent
Labour Friends of Iraq

The European Union and Iraq - how to help democracy

See this comprehensive report on the European Union and Iraq initiated by Ana Maria Gomes MEP, agreed in February. A useful antidote to the widespread pessimism about the prospects for Iraq.

It is critical of the 2003 intervention – it says that: the 2003 war divided Europe. Some Member States of the European Union (EU) took a political decision to support the United States in its decision to rush to war to supposedly defend the world from Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction. The unity of the EU on the international stage was one of the casualties of this fateful decision. The legacy of the 2003 disunity has plagued the EU’s potential role in the reconstruction of Iraq.

It recognises that “the years of the Ba'ath regime and decades of war have left behind a society traumatised by war, repression, ethnic cleansing (including by chemical attack, as in Halabja) and international neglect of these crimes; whereas the international community, and particularly those states that have supported the intervention, have a legal and moral duty, and also a security interest, to support the people of Iraq, and whereas the European Union, in coordination with other international donors, must rapidly and creatively mobilise all the relevant instruments at its disposal to do its part.

It says that “the EU as a global player should assume its responsibilities for building up a new democratic Iraq” and “needs to be more strategic in supporting Iraq in its progress towards becoming a democratic federal state; whereas the EU recognises that, in order for it to be able to provide effective assistance, there must be a solid partnership with the people of Iraq, an ongoing commitment on the part of the Government of Iraq to ensure security, reconciliation, a willingness to cooperate, efforts to achieve capacity- and democracy-building, and efforts to fight corruption and ensure transparency and effectiveness as fundamental preconditions for an increased role of the European Union in Iraq; whereas the key challenges of reconstruction lie on the institutional and social fronts, namely the capacity-building of institutions and administration, consolidation of the rule of law, law enforcement and respect for human rights.”

It adds that “the EC has committed around €818 million to Iraqi reconstruction since 2003, in addition to the contributions coming from member states. But the EU has not been successful in substantially improving the situation on the ground. It is true that it has not been the only donor whose contributions for Iraqi reconstruction have produced disappointingly few results. However, this recommendation argues that Europe can do much more and much better, namely by engaging more intensively with Iraqi institutions, and civil society actors by considerably expanding its presence on the ground and by finding more creative ways to use its resources.”

It contains a host of useful policy suggestions to help Iraq.

Gary Kent

LFIQ Joint President appeals for support for Iraqi unions

Non-Governmental Organisations (Iraq)

2. Mr. David Anderson (Blaydon) (Lab): What support his Department is providing to non-governmental organisations in Iraq.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr. Shahid Malik): Since 2004, the Department for International Development has provided £20.5 million to strengthen Iraqi civil society. Recipient organisations have included those working on minority and women’s rights, as well as wider human rights. Current support includes a programme run by the BBC World Service Trust to foster an independent media in Iraq. DFID is also providing £17 million this year for humanitarian assistance, much of which is allocated, either directly or through the UN, to non-governmental organisations in Iraq.

Mr. Anderson: I thank the Minister for that response. Is he aware that last year his Department withdrew funding from support for trade union development in Iraq because of the

“sectarian violence engulfing the country at the moment”?

Clearly, the security situation is better now. Will he agree to meet trade unions from Iraq and Britain to try to move the issue forward again?

Mr. Malik: Trade unions are a vital part of any democracy. That is why my hon. Friend is right to say that, between 2004 and 2007, DFID provided through Unison training for trade union leaders and helped to establish a trade union resource centre in Iraq. This programme came to a natural end in 2007, which coincided with a spike in violence preventing us from renewing the programme. Since then we have successfully focused on supporting the Iraqi Government to provide essential services to their own people and stimulating private sector investment. In April, I met Governor al-Waili, the governor of Basra, who expressed his optimism about the future of Iraq. I assure my hon. Friend that as security improves, we will continue to assess how we can best support increased prosperity and stability in Iraq, including opportunities to work with trade unions.

The role of culture in healing Iraq

Saad Eskander director of Baghdads national library and a former Kurdish fighter says that without cultural education, we cannot emerge from Saddam Husseins dictatorship properly. Without it, we cannot resist the ideas of religious fundamentalism.

Beatles fan Mohammed Ahmed is a voice of peace amid war

See this