Government admits post-war plan mistake

Clare Short's replacement talks about Iraq

The government has admitted that they planned for a different emergency in post-war Iraq.

The International Development Secretary has told the committee which scrutinises her department that the breakdown of law and order in the aftermath of war was not widely anticipated.

Instead, the UK Government's post-war plan concentrated on preparing for a massive humanitarian emergency involving a large number of refugees.

But the expected displacement of the population did not happen.

Baroness Amos admitted that there could have been more planning regarding the widespread looting in Iraq.

Her comments came during a session of the International Development Committee which is examining the humanitarian effort in the country.

MPs have previously heard from international aid agencies who questioned the existence of a post-conflict strategy at all.

Sabotage

The Labour peer echoed the concerns of aid agencies that the power vacuum is making charity work very difficult.

Sabotage in particular is severely hampering charities' efforts to rebuild the country's infrastructure.

In Baghdad, water and electricity supplies are being fixed, but the installations are being sabotaged on an almost nightly basis, she told MPs.

Baroness Amos revealed the security situation in Baghdad is still poor but in Basra there is only a limited visible military presence.

Water supplies in Basra are back to pre-conflict levels, she continued, but that this was still not adequate.

Sabotage has been blamed for six explosions at Iraqi oil installations in the past fortnight.

Getting oil flowing is vital. 90 per cent of income comes from oil revenues.

Where is DfID?

But the international development secretary, who replaced Clare Short in May, dismissed the claim that her department was not actively involved in the work.

On a recent visit to the country the committee questioned where the department's officials were.

Baroness Amos defended her department's role saying that while there may be no visible DfID logos around Iraq, there are 29 people embedded in the UN's teams and inside the Coalition Provisional Authority.

Charities have complained that the role of the United Nations was limited.

Former International Development Secretary Clare Short resigned saying the UN was not given a "vital role" despite assurances from the Prime Minister.

Baroness Amos insisted the UN had a clear role but that it was not the only body involved in rebuilding Iraq.

Funding

Last week, the UN launched a flash appeal for $250 million to last Iraq for the rest of the year.

And the Government has announced an extra £35 thousand to the new cause.

She also told MPs that the UN, the World Bank and the IMF have now carried out an initial assessment of what is needed to rebuild Iraq.

The Iraqi people are almost entirely dependant on the UN and international aid agencies for food.

The Prime Minister Tony Blair also commented on the current security and humanitarian situation in post-war Iraq as he gave evidence to the Liaison Committee this week. You can see the session in full from 1800 BST on Saturday 12 March