THE 4th IISS REGIONAL SECURITY SUMMIT
THE MANAMA DIALOGUE
Manama Sunday 9 December 2007
IRAQ AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD - THE UK'S PERSPECTIVE
Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth
Minister of State for the Armed Forces, UK
Good morning everyone. I’d like to start by making a contrast between Iraq and my own country, the United Kingdom. We have four main groups within our nation: the Irish, the Welsh, the Scots and the English. And it has been three hundred years since the act of Union created Great Britain. But we still have not finished. We still have not got it right. We are still arguing about the Union, the constitution. We tell the most terrible jokes about each other. We refuse to support each other’s football teams at international level (or at least some of us do).
We have not only had three hundred years, we have had, with the exception of Northern Ireland, sixty years of peace, security and growing prosperity, and sixty years of ever closer cooperation with our neighbours in Europe.
By contrast, Iraq is trying to unite three main groupings within a nation at break-neck speed. And Iraq has not enjoyed a long period of peace and security. She has not had years of cooperation with her neighbours, and does not have full cooperation with all of her neighbours now. This contrast points up two areas which I would like to speak about: the first is security.
Security in Iraq has improved. You have heard that from many speakers. In the south, the area where the UK has focused our main effort, we have helped to train 13,000 members of the Iraqi Army, and thousands of members of the Iraqi Police Service. We are very proud of the work that our people have done. The Iraqis can be very proud of the capability of their security forces.
In three of the four provinces in the south - Muthanna, Dhi Qar and Maysan - Iraq has taken control of security. Things are not perfect but they are managing the situation, and they are achieving the progress that has been made, and they have been for some time.
The growing capacity of the 10th and 14th Iraqi Army Divisions to provide security in Basra – and their contribution to operations in Baghdad – is clear evidence of their ability to deal effectively with security challenges that have arisen. The smooth handover of former Multi National Forces’ bases in Basra City, and the handover of Basra Palace in September, is further evidence of this.
We have now agreed with the Iraqi Government that they will assume full control of Basra Province - the last of the four with which we have been particularly associated - before the end of the year. This is a hugely positive step.
The transition in Basra does not signal the end of the UK’s commitment to Iraq. The UK military commitment to the country will increasingly focus on supporting, training and mentoring the Iraqi Security Forces.
This security improvement, not just in the South, but in many other parts of the country, has to be seized upon by the Iraqi Government, to make progress in other areas, like reconciliation. Prime Minister Maliki has made a commitment to work to bring together political groups across the country. And we hope to see the passing of the Justice and Accountability Law very soon, which will greatly assist that process.
The UK has a clear stake in Iraq’s future, most visibly through our significant military contribution, and also our less publicised, but still important development programme. It is vital that this balance is now reversed. If we continue down the road that we have been able to travel the last few months, the development side of our relationship with Iraq will grow. But I would argue, as the Qatari Prime Minister did yesterday, that Iraq’s neighbours have an even greater stake.
This brings me to the second point I want to bring out from my contrast between Iraq and the UK: the importance of Iraq’s neighbours. The Iraqis are assuming responsibility for their own security. But they cannot - no matter how much they try - do this on their own. Some 90% of the suicide bombers in Iraq are non-Iraqi. This is a regional problem, and wider. And it points up the fact that the threat is not to Iraq but to the wider region.
It is particularly important that all of Iraq’s neighbours help in the efforts to combat insurgent groups. I’m pleased that most of the neighbours are committed to cutting off financing of these groups, exchanging intelligence and combating smuggling. These efforts make a real difference.
I was pleased to hear Secretary Gates talk yesterday about strengthening multilateral ties with friends in the region. And in the same vein I was delighted to hear positive expressions by the Prime Minister of Qatar on the need for broad international and indeed GCC support for Iraq. The individual members of the GCC all gain from the collective strength of that organisation.
But again, take the UK as an example. We have benefited hugely from our recent history from our membership of, for example, the EU and NATO. I would also like to see relationships between these multilateral organisations developed. The EU and the GCC have much to gain from the conclusion of the so far elusive Free Trade Agreement. And not just on the commercial front. NATO can offer experience unparalleled in the world, in fostering and maintaining stability and security. There are few regions on earth where this experience is more needed than the Gulf region. And the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative provides the means for NATO to share its knowledge with GCC partners. The Secretary General’s visit to Bahrain, in the spring, will further cement the Alliance’s relationships in the region.
No one country has the answers, sharing our thoughts, our solutions, is vital if we are to maximize our collective effort.
Let me turn now and say something about Iran, including the nuclear issue. If Iran were to acquire nuclear weapons it would hugely destabilise security in the region. We can deal with the problems that we face in many ways. We can ignore them and we can hope that they go away. We can look for other similar situations where we have, or have not, chosen to act and we can use them as an excuse for inactivity. Or we can confront our problems in a thoughtful and calibrated way. We must continue to step up our diplomatic efforts, to get Iran to comply with its international obligations.
Chairman, can I say that it has been a privilege to take part in, and speak at, the Manama dialogue. As a Defence Minister for some six months, I am fairly new to the complexities with which many of you have been grappling for years. But I have been impressed by the open, honest and frank discussion we have been having here over the last two days.
In today’s interdependent world, we must face our challenges together. We must not under-estimate the challenges ahead. We must seize the opportunities we have and we must work collectively to help secure the future for Iraq and for this wider and most vital region of the world. Thank you for listening to me.
