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UK 'is leaving Iraq a better place'
May 22, 2011
The toppling of Saddam Hussein and the subsequent rebuilding of Iraq was worth it, Foreign Secretary William Hague has said as British military operations in the country finally came to an end.
Mr Hague said the UK was leaving Iraq "a much better place than we found it", insisting that after years of tyrannical rule under its former president, it was now a democratic state with a growing economy.
But David Miliband, his predecessor as Foreign Secretary, said progress in Iraq would have been much quicker had the allied forces developed a "proper strategy for peace" from the outset of the conflict. He said that "while there have been gains, the list of negatives has been long, longer than the list of gains" in Iraq.
The UK's only presence in the country will now be a handful of consular staff at its embassy in Baghdad following the formal end of Operation Telic, which began in 2003 with the allied invasion and cost 179 British lives.
The last British soldiers left in 2009 but a number of Royal Navy personnel remained in the port city of Umm Qasr to train some 1,800 Iraqi sailors in everything from defending the country's offshore oil platforms to using small arms.
Asked about the current situation in Iraq, Mr Hague told the BBC's Politics Show: "It is a much better place than we found it.
"Remember, it was previously a ruthless dictatorship and it was a menace and a danger to the peace of that region and for the wider world as was shown by Saddam Hussein launching two wars against his neighbours during his time ruling Iraq.
"Now it is a democratic country. It still has many difficulties but it is a democratic country, its economic prosperity is growing, its potential for a positive role in the region is now growing. So we are leaving it a better place and it was worth doing what we have done."
But Mr Miliband, who was Foreign Secretary between June 2007 and May last year, was less upbeat about the operation's success.
Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, he said: ""I am afraid the failure of the Western forces to develop a proper strategy for peace, not a strategy for war, has held back the country. It is still to play for, despite the loss of blood and treasure, but I think that is the key lesson."
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Related Article
British military ends its eight-year mission in Iraq
May 22, 2011
LONDON (AP) — British operations in Iraq are officially ending, more than eight years after the country joined the U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.
Resized to 76% (was 1024 x 726) - Click image to enlarge[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Most British troops left the country in 2009, but a small naval force remained to train Iraqi sailors. That Royal Navy mission ends on Sunday.
The British commander in Iraq, Brig. Max Marriner, said "the Iraqi Navy are ready, so now is the time for the U.K. to dress back and let them complete the mission they were created for."
British Defense Secretary Liam Fox paid tribute to the 179 British personnel who have died in Iraq since 2003.
The decision of then-Prime Minister Tony Blair to join the Iraq war was unpopular in Britain, sparking some of the largest demonstrations in a generation.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
May 22, 2011
The toppling of Saddam Hussein and the subsequent rebuilding of Iraq was worth it, Foreign Secretary William Hague has said as British military operations in the country finally came to an end.
Mr Hague said the UK was leaving Iraq "a much better place than we found it", insisting that after years of tyrannical rule under its former president, it was now a democratic state with a growing economy.
But David Miliband, his predecessor as Foreign Secretary, said progress in Iraq would have been much quicker had the allied forces developed a "proper strategy for peace" from the outset of the conflict. He said that "while there have been gains, the list of negatives has been long, longer than the list of gains" in Iraq.
The UK's only presence in the country will now be a handful of consular staff at its embassy in Baghdad following the formal end of Operation Telic, which began in 2003 with the allied invasion and cost 179 British lives.
The last British soldiers left in 2009 but a number of Royal Navy personnel remained in the port city of Umm Qasr to train some 1,800 Iraqi sailors in everything from defending the country's offshore oil platforms to using small arms.
Asked about the current situation in Iraq, Mr Hague told the BBC's Politics Show: "It is a much better place than we found it.
"Remember, it was previously a ruthless dictatorship and it was a menace and a danger to the peace of that region and for the wider world as was shown by Saddam Hussein launching two wars against his neighbours during his time ruling Iraq.
"Now it is a democratic country. It still has many difficulties but it is a democratic country, its economic prosperity is growing, its potential for a positive role in the region is now growing. So we are leaving it a better place and it was worth doing what we have done."
But Mr Miliband, who was Foreign Secretary between June 2007 and May last year, was less upbeat about the operation's success.
Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, he said: ""I am afraid the failure of the Western forces to develop a proper strategy for peace, not a strategy for war, has held back the country. It is still to play for, despite the loss of blood and treasure, but I think that is the key lesson."
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Related Article
British military ends its eight-year mission in Iraq
May 22, 2011
LONDON (AP) — British operations in Iraq are officially ending, more than eight years after the country joined the U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.
Resized to 76% (was 1024 x 726) - Click image to enlarge[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Most British troops left the country in 2009, but a small naval force remained to train Iraqi sailors. That Royal Navy mission ends on Sunday.
The British commander in Iraq, Brig. Max Marriner, said "the Iraqi Navy are ready, so now is the time for the U.K. to dress back and let them complete the mission they were created for."
British Defense Secretary Liam Fox paid tribute to the 179 British personnel who have died in Iraq since 2003.
The decision of then-Prime Minister Tony Blair to join the Iraq war was unpopular in Britain, sparking some of the largest demonstrations in a generation.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
