Downing Street Says

» Tuesday, November 9, 2004

Iraq

Asked if there was any concern at the withdrawal of the major Sunni party from the Iraqi coalition government as a result of the attacks on Fallujah, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said he did not actually recognise the description of the party that was given. As he understood it, the party concerned had 4 out of 100 members of the National Assembly, and it had one Cabinet Minister who had chosen to leave the party, rather than the Government. The PMOS also pointed out a statement made by Prime Minister Allawi’s Official Spokesman that stated that Prime Minister Allawi had met with the Fallujah tribal leaders as well as those from the Al Ambar Province in that area, and that they would be issuing a statement of support. Prime Minister Allawi had continued to consult with other Sunni leaders and the Shammr tribe which had been very positive.

Asked to comment further about Nick Soames’s statement earlier on television about another battalion of British troops (The Princess of Wales Regiment) being sent across to Iraq, the PMOS replied that he could not and would not. He was not aware of any plans over and above those that were already announced. He had already explained the situation about the Black Watch in the morning lobby meeting.

Asked again about the sending of more troops to Iraq, the PMOS replied that it was not a sensible question to ask at this stage, and therefore he was not going to answer it either.

Asked why it was not sensible, the PMOS said no one had suggested it.
Asked again about the situation in Fallujah, the PMOS said that he was not going to act as a battlefield commentator. There were troops out in Iraq doing a difficult job and they needed support. He stressed that things at an operational level should be left to the operational commanders on the ground.

Asked if the fact that the operations on the ground had changed meant that the type or scale of the operation had in fact changed, the PMOS said that people should not try and second-guess or pre-empt the commanders’ decisions.

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» Tuesday, November 9, 2004

Iraq

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