Press briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Home Office, Iraq and Troops, Hamas and Somalia
Home Office
Asked if the Prime Minister believed that Ministers’ should take responsibility for departments and the decisions taken in departments, in particular with reference to what Nick Clegg has said, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that Ministers were responsible for departments but they could not make decisions or be responsible if they had not been made aware of problems in the first place. They cannot act on things they do not know anything about, in relation to the current situation the Home Office has launched an investigation and this was a commonsense approach.
Asked if it was possible that departments could be run better if it was easier to sack civil servants, the PMOS said that it was not his job to comment on civil service management.
Iraq and Troops
Asked, with regard to PMQs today, if there was any indication of an announcement of a timetable for Basra in general, the PMOS said that Operation Sinbad was just over half way through, progress had been made though the situation on the ground was not ideal. However, as a result of the work of our police training teams nearly 55 per cent of Basra city’s police stations were up to the standard required; this is compared to 20 per cent last September. The murder rate in Basra has reduced from 139 reported in June to 29 reported this December. Reconstruction programmes in Basra are evident with the refurbishment of 176 schools, refurbishment of 3 hospitals and a further 8 primary health clinics, refurbishment of a pharmacy, an orphanage and 30 football pitches. These are all in addition to road and bridge repairs in the region.
Any decision about troops in the future would be based on the position in Basra. 90 per cent of all violence in Iraq is in Baghdad. All decisions for us are driven by what is happening on the ground in Basra.
Asked if the US were sending more troops into Iraq following President Bush’s statement this evening would we take our troops out of Iraq as whatever the President said had no bearing on our decision, the PMOS said that all decisions regarding troops would be based on the conditions on the ground in Basra, and the views of the Iraqi government first and foremost.
Asked if the Prime Minister’s lecture on defence tomorrow would be in a response to President Bush’s speech tonight, the PMOS said no. The Prime Minister was still writing his speech but it would be a strategic history and overview of defence, not new material on Iraq or a response to what President Bush may say tonight. We had not been waiting for President Bush to set out the position in Iraq, the Prime Minister’s speech will be in general terms.
Asked if US troop numbers in Baghdad had any bearing on UK troop numbers the PMOS said that again decisions were based on conditions on the ground. Asked if the withdrawal of troops meant withdrawal to the UK or to barracks in Basra the PMOS reminded reporters not to get ahead of themselves. Asked if the spring timetable, mentioned by the Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, was a strong possibility the PMOS said that it was possible but it would proceed on a factual basis depending on conditions on the ground.
Asked if that meant that British troops could withdraw entirely, the PMOS said that the decision would take into account what the situation was like on the ground, what Iraq Government wanted and discussions with Coalition troops.
Hamas
Asked if there was any view on the exiled Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal’s comments that the existence of Israel had to be acknowledged, the PMOS said it would be best to wait and see exactly what he had said but that it was correct to recognise the reality that Israel did exist and had to be recognised as such for there to be a two state solution.
Somalia
Asked what the Prime Minister’s comments were regarding the current situation in Somalia, if the Prime Minister supported the US and how that squared with the EU’s position, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister was aware of the US position in tracking the terrorists responsible for the bombings in 1998 but it was a matter for the US.
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