Select Committee on Foreign Affairs Tenth Report


INTRODUCTION

  1.  This is the third Report of the Foreign Affairs Committee in its Inquiry into the 'Foreign Policy Aspects of the War against Terrorism'. The Inquiry began soon after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, which resulted in the deaths of almost three thousand civilians. In recognition of the seriousness of the attacks, of the transformation they wrought on US and United Kingdom foreign policy, and of the ongoing war on terror, this Inquiry is a continuing one.

  2.  Our first Report on this subject, published in June 2002, set out the Government's immediate response to the terrorist attacks and its role in mobilising a broad international coalition, in the United Nations and elsewhere, to address the terrorist threat. We examined Britain's role in the overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and in the subsequent establishment of a new government in that war-torn country. Our Report also described the emergence of a heated debate, within this country and across the Atlantic, about how best to proceed against the terrorist threat. The relevance of the conflict in the Middle East, and the Iraqi regime's development of weapons of mass destruction, were discussed at some length.

  3.  We published a second Report on the 'War against Terrorism' in December 2002. In that Report, we provided further analysis of international efforts to dismantle the al Qaeda network. We looked in detail at a number of aspects of US foreign policy, as set out in the US Government's National Security Strategy, and examined in particular their legal implications. The question of Iraq's continued defiance of UN Security Council resolutions—and the response of the US and United Kingdom governments to this defiance—also featured prominently in our Report.

  4.  In the conclusion to our first Report on the 'Foreign Policy Aspects of the War against Terrorism', we predicted that the military aspect of the 'war against terrorism' was "likely to be long and may spread beyond Afghanistan."[1] On 19 March 2003, the United States, with strong backing from the United Kingdom, initiated military action against the Iraqi regime.

  5.  The war in Iraq ended 24 years of oppressive rule by Saddam Hussein. It also changed the international environment in which the 'war against terrorism' is being fought. In this Report, we examine the diplomatic initiatives of early 2003, which preceded the decision by the US and its coalition partners to initiate military action. We look at the consequences of the war for Iraq, for the wider Middle East region, and for the United States, the United Kingdom and their traditional allies. In another Report, published on 7 July, we have examined in detail the Government's decision to go to war in Iraq, focusing on the information provided by the Government to Parliament and the public.[2]

  6.  Military action against states is only one aspect of the war against terrorism: the Iraq war, which has dominated international attention for much of this year, has been fought in parallel with another, largely invisible war against al Qaeda and associated terrorist organisations. In this Report, we examine the state of the al Qaeda network. We also analyse progress since December 2002 towards disabling al Qaeda, disrupting its funding, and apprehending its senior operatives and planners. Though these measures to counter terrorism have succeeded to some extent, the terrorist attacks perpetrated in Riyadh and Casablanca in early May 2003 were a stark reminder that al Qaeda and its associate organisations continue to pose a major threat to the United Kingdom's interests and citizens, both at home and abroad.

  7.  Our understanding of the fight against al Qaeda was enhanced considerably by the analysis of two prominent experts on terrorism, Professor Paul Wilkinson and Ms Jane Corbin, who gave oral evidence in early June. We also heard from Ms Corbin and Mr Fergal Keane on their recent visits to post-war Iraq. We are grateful to these witnesses for providing us with invaluable information and analysis.

  8.  In our December 2002 Report, we noted that "the relationship between the Government and the Bush administration is of central importance to any Inquiry into this subject". We examine further developments in the transatlantic relationship in this Report. In March 2003, we visited Brussels, and discussed matters arising from the Iraq crisis with a number of officials at NATO and the EU, including Lord Roberson and High Representative Javier Solana. In April 2003, we visited the UN in New York and met with the Secretary-General, UN officials, and representatives of the Security Council and other member states. We then proceeded to Washington DC, where we had a series of informative discussions with senior Bush administration officials, independent commentators, and colleagues on Capitol Hill. In May, we visited Paris, and held a series of meetings with Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin and a number of other colleagues. We are grateful to those who gave us their time and confidence during these visits; they provided us with important information and analysis as we proceeded with our Inquiry.

  9.  In recognition of the importance of Iran in the Middle East region, and in prosecuting the war against terrorism, we had also planned to visit Tehran, Isfahan and Mashad during March 2003. We took evidence from Dr Ali Ansari, Dr Gary Samore, Steve Crawshaw and Ms Elahe Sharifpour-Hicks on Iran in February 2003. Unfortunately because of the deepening crisis in the region we were unable to go ahead with our visit to Iran in March. We are, however, most grateful to the Iranian authorities for their assistance in arranging this visit, and look forward to undertaking the visit to Iran later this year.



1   Second Report from the Foreign Affairs Committee, Session 2002-03, Foreign Policy Aspects of the War against Terrorism, HC 196, para 240 Back

2   Ninth Report from the Foreign Affairs Committee, Session 2002-03, The Decision to go to War in Iraq, HC 813-I Back


 
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Prepared 31 July 2003