Dear Chris,
IRAQ: PRIME MINISTER'S MEETING, 15 JUNE
The Prime Minister met the Defence Secretary, Foreign Secretary,
International Development Secretary and Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 15
June. CDS and No10/Cabinet Office officials were also present.
Tim Dowse and CDS gave an update on the security situation in Iraq. The
Defence Secretary briefed on his 14 June visit to Iraq.
The Defence Secretary and CDS gave an update on Iraqi-isation.
response to the Defence Secretary's comment that modest amounts of funding for
infrastructure projects were still not getting through, the Prime Minister asked for
the precise details of any blockages on funding or equipment for Irag-isation or
for other projects eg infrastructure, for him to raise with Bush. These should
arrive here as and when we hear about them, ie Departments should not wait to
blockages.
be asked again but should automatically inform us of specific examples of
The meeting addressed again the possible reinforcement of UK troops in
Iraq. The meeting concluded that we should not close the door to the possibility
of sending further UK troops. We should keep the option open until around the
time of the NATO Summit. But there was no pressing military reason to send
them, nor were we coming under much pressure from the US to do so. We
should not raise US expectations by talking to them about the details of how the
reinforcement might take place.
I am copying this letter to Geoffrey Adams (FCO), Mark Bowman
(HMT), Moazzam Malik (DFID), C, and to Sir Andrew Turnbull, Desmond
Bowen and Tim Dowse (Cabinet Office).
DECLASSIFIED

Mothe
MATTHEW RYCROFT
Chris Baker
MOD
DECLASSIFIED