Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean (Labour). It was answered on Wednesday, 1 November 2006.

Iraq: UK and US Forces

Question: My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that response. Perhaps I may press him a little further on how the United States Department of Defense is engaging in the process. The Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, is widely regarded as the main architect of pretty much all US activity on the ground in Iraq, but he is not widely regarded as a big enthusiast for consultation even in his own Government. Can my noble friend assure the House that Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld is himself fully engaged in the exchanges taking place?

Answer: My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for giving me an opportunity to give exactly that assurance to the House. We have excellent relations with the Pentagon at all levels. At the highest level, the Secretary of State has regular discussions with his opposite number; he met him most recently on 28 September at the NATO Defence Ministers summit, at which they discussed a number of issues. I think that it is clear that the United Kingdom has influenced and continues to influence US policy on Iraq. For example, we have had an effect on the conditions for transition in Iraq, which were drawn up by the joint committee, on the strategy for the multinational division in the south-east of the country, and on the negotiations on the renewal of UN Security Council resolutions. We focus on outcomes, and we can see the way in which the first of the provinces have achieved transition in Iraq as evidence—given that those were areas under the leadership of the United Kingdom—of our clear influence on the US Administration.

Secondary information