Nicholas Cannon
IRAQ: YOUR VIDEO CONFERENCE WITH PRESIDENT BUSH
We are putting up briefing under a Note from Matthew. It will cover the agenda
headings I have agreed with Condi.
This is a key exchange.
There are a number of vital messages to put across. Top is security. The signs
point to this getting worse not better. We need to understand what is happening
and regain the initiative. Accelerated political and economic development, now
both essential, will be impossible unless we deal with - and are seen to be
dealing with - the security situation. We face a crisis of confidence both in Iraq
and internationally. We need to get on top of this in weeks, not months.
Are we dealing with isolated episodes of criminality and terrorism, as Rumsfeld
argues, or is this the beginning of something much more like organised guerilla
war? Have we got enough troops? The US Administration (and our own MOD)
seem to be arguing that we have. Personally I strongly doubt it.
328
SECEDE CLASS RESONAL.

My blueprint would be:
surge large numbers of additional troops into Iraq very
rapidly to get us through the current security crisis. (I suspect our
own MOD would disagree; DOD certainly would.)
-
accelerate the reconstruction programme. We should tackle the
power/water/services nexus of problems on a crash, wartime
footing.
We should spend what it takes, sending in new power
generating equipment etc, and protecting it. The problems are
big but the price of failure is bigger;
promote a very vigorous political programme which
puts a premium on (UN backed) Iraqi participation. We need to get
the Governing Council in place next week. This should be
accompanied by a highly effective media strategy (still
a disaster area).
These are all parts of a whole; all need to be tackled with real urgency. But
security underpins everything.
STRICTLY PERSONAL

subscribe to Bremer's much more extreme analysis.
We know Bush is being urged by Bremer to take
action -
What would we achieve?
Has the Administration calculated the impact on Iran (the law of unintended
consequences)? We need to be sure that this is a thought-through policy :
A.
DAVID MANNING
DECI ACCI EIT
STRICTLY PERSONAL