Iraq's future is in its hands
Bill Rammell Al-Hayat - 20/11/08//
I have recently returned from a visit to Iraq, a country that is now getting back on its feet. Violent incidents are down by 85% and I saw for myself the increased confidence that this is generating within Government and throughout Iraqi society. And I saw a government and local administration focussing on the real tasks at hand: how to make Iraqis more prosperous and have better access to better public services. There is a long way to go yet but, to adapt a phrase, the green shoots of recovery are starting to show in Iraq. We need to do everything we can to nurture this growth. Responsibility for this falls not just to us, but also to Iraq's friends and neighbours.
Internationally, there is no doubt that Iraq is beginning to resume its natural position as an important regional player. But now, unlike in Saddam Hussein's day, it is doing so as a positive force. Several new Ambassadors are taking up their positions in Baghdad. UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Syria and Kuwait are all represented. Egypt has promised to send an Ambassador soon.
It is all looking very different from just a few years ago, when Iraq was a source of deep controversy and anguish. The arguments about the merits of what coalition forces did at that time will no doubt carry on. Historians will ponder and write their own view in the years to come. But what the UK government is concentrating on now is what sort of Iraq is likely to emerge in the next five years and how can we help the Iraqis shape their future? The question holds the first answer. Iraq's future will be shaped by Iraqis; it is in their hands. We can only suggest, help and offer partnerships. And that is how it should be. The provincial elections within the next few months will set the scene for the national elections next year, elections in which Iraqis will be able to show their growing political maturity. No longer is it a choice between a vote for Saddam Hussein or torture. In the coming months, Iraqi voters will face a range of options from which to choose.
But talking as I did to Iraq's leaders, it is possible to clear common ground on what areas Iraq needs to address if its future is to be as assured as its long-suffering people deserve. Despite recent progress on security - attacks are down 85% on 2006 - the day-to-day safety of Iraqis remains a paramount concern. The Iraqi Security Forces are more and more proving themselves capable of ensuring security without resorting to the excesses of the Saddam Hussein-era. The UK military profile is changing and will develop further in line with this.
As security becomes less of a preoccupation for ordinary Iraqis, many will be looking to the authorities to deliver effective public services: hospitals that are well equipped, schools that prepare children for the future, social services that help the less well off. Iraqi politicians will only be able to deliver if the country's economic resources are harnessed and channelled to these goals. That requires further development of Iraq's hydrocarbon resources and effective distribution of that wealth through Iraq's central, regional and local administrations. Iraq's leaders and representatives are discussing the details of the hydrocarbon law. A good and quick result is imperative.
There are many other vital economic and social issues on the plate of Iraqi politicians. But they are only likely to be dealt with effectively and sustainably if Iraqis, politicians and people alike, pull in the same direction. That means Kurds and Arabs united in efforts to reach a higher goal, Shias and Sunnis working together, and all major groups incorporating the views of minorities. Only then will we see an Iraq reconciled and at peace with itself.
These are demanding goals and few societies have been able to heal themselves quickly after going through a bitter upheaval. It is a long road as we in the UK have seen for ourselves in Northern Ireland. But a country that is trying to get to get back on its feet needs to feel that its destiny is in its own hands and it needs the advice and support of its friends and neighbours. That is what I saw in Iraq and that is what is so encouraging.
* British Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
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