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Middle East - 8 September 2003
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Mr. David Curry (Skipton and Ripon): All commentators refer to
the increasing alienation of the Iraqi population because of what they
see as the slow pace of reconstruction and the heavy-handedness in the
response notably of the Americans. If there are increasing numbers of
foreign troops and different nationalities in Iraq with many of whom the
Iraqi people have no historical links, what steps will the coalition take
to ensure that they understand that that is helping the reconstruction
of their country and not merely helping to solve our military problem?
Mr. Straw: I pay tribute to the British troops operating in the
south of Iraq, who have shown great felicity and courage in getting alongside
Iraqi people to try to build up their confidence, as they have in other
theatres. On the whole, that is working. Sometimes they are engaged in
straightforward conflict with particular groups of Iraqis because of criminals
or terrorists operating against them. The most important things we can
do to meet the aspiration to which the right hon. Gentleman referred is
to secure a rapid transfer of power to the Iraqi people. That process
has been started. As I spelled out to the House in my statement, 25 Iraqi
interim Ministers have now been appointed and there is a governing council
that is far more representative than any government under Saddam Hussein
and which will increasingly take responsibility for the services that
make a difference in the Iraqi people's day-to-day lives.
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