Iraq: Future Strategic Relationship

I acknowledge, as does our former Prime Minister, that there should have been better post-conflict planning and preparation. One of the issues that is constantly flagged up in relation to that planning and preparation is that of de-Ba'athification. In hindsight, we got it wrong on de-Ba'athification, but we did not get it wrong on our own. All the decisions that we took as a coalition were taken in consultation with the Iraqis and the Iraqi Government. Because of their experience under Saddam Hussein, they were the strongest proponents of de-Ba'athification.