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Mr. Ingram: I remind my hon. Friend that the House voted for the deployment in Iraq and has continued to monitor the situation. I recognise that there are those who think that the withdrawal of troops will make the situation better in Iraq, but they are living in a dream world. They have to consider that Iraq would descend into chaos. They are effectively saying, "Withdraw the troops now", but they do not have an alternative proposition. It is a knee-jerk reaction and does not add up to a substantial policy, and this Government will not accede to it.

Adam Price (East Carmarthen and Dinefwr) (PC): Figures released by the coalition over the weekend show that August saw the highest number of attacks on coalition forces since the conflict began, averaging 87 a day. We know that we were misled into this war and we are now being misled about the aftermath, which is turning into a long, bloody conflict, with no end in sight.

Mr. Ingram: I think that the only person who is misleading the hon. Gentleman is himself. I constantly give detailed information, which is then twisted and turned, over-interpreted and misinterpreted. I explained that the situation has been bad during the past two months. That has to be dealt with. When I was asked whether that would require additional troops, I indicated that we are planning a reduction in troops. We are planning for a different scenario, but we have to manage the difficult situation. I do not know whether the hon. Gentleman is one of those who says that we should withdraw the troops, but what does he think would happen to Iraq if we did so?

Mr. Jon Owen Jones (Cardiff, Central) (Lab/Co-op): In April, during a Westminster Hall debate, I queried the description by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Mr. Rammell), of al-Sadr as an insignificant rabble rouser. Was the Foreign Office so ill informed at the time, or was it an attempt to mislead the House?

Mr. Ingram: I am sure that it was not an attempt to mislead the House. I would have to read the Official Report of the debate to see the context in which those words were said. Moqtada al-Sadr has been carrying out terrible acts and, clearly, he has the support of a percentage of the people in the area he represents. However, the weight of opinion within his community is against him, and that side of the argument will prevail. The minority—that rabble rouser and dangerous man—will not prevail. The people of common sense and decency who want a new Iraq will prevail.

Mr. Douglas Hogg (Sleaford and North Hykeham) (Con): Does the Minister agree that it is difficult for Members of Parliament to determine whether the violence is decreasing or increasing? Will he agree to put into the Library a monthly written report identifying the degree of violence in the preceding month? The report could, for example, state the number of incidents, as best it is known, the number of casualties on all sides, and the degree of ordnance used. That would enable us to begin to form a view on whether the violence is increasing or
 
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subsiding. If that cannot be done generally, in respect of the coalition as a whole, surely it should be done in respect of British servicemen.

Mr. Ingram: I am not wholly unsympathetic to that idea. My concern is about the exploitation of the information by people who are not of good will and who are not trying to establish a balanced approach to an undoubtedly difficult situation. Such information can be misused and misapplied—the hon. Member for Salisbury (Mr. Key) spoke about the way in which the media report these matters. We can take a snapshot, but the situation could improve in the month following the report. We hold regular debates in the House and Ministers are held accountable, but I shall consider how best we might communicate the overall environment in the area and give better information.

David Winnick (Walsall, North) (Lab): Is there really much of a difference between those who are carrying out murderous attacks in Iraq, including the killing of children, and those who are responsible for the atrocities that have occurred in Russia in the past few days? Is there not a common theme between terrorists of various sorts?

Mr. Ingram: Terrorism of all types when it involves indiscriminate—or, in many cases, discriminate—acts against women, children and defenceless civilians has to be condemned in its totality. However, no two sets of circumstances are the same. Although we can sympathise with the Russian Government and people and give them our best advice, ultimately, they have to find their own resolution to their own problems.

There are increasing indications of international connections in terrorism. We have to get on top of that. Nations are showing increasing willingness to share intelligence and to take action to stop the movement across the globe of international terrorists and the materials they use.

Hugh Robertson (Faversham and Mid-Kent) (Con): Events of recent weeks suggest that al-Sadr's army and other insurgents are extremely well organised and resourced. Is there any evidence that they are being helped by countries neighbouring Iraq, or does it remain likely that they are financed by money taken corruptly from the UN oil-for-food programme?

Mr. Ingram: I have no direct evidence of the terms in which the hon. Gentleman put his question. Clearly those people are getting funds, and part of the process of sharing intelligence is establishing where they are coming from. It is important to stop not only funds for the acquisition of weapons that come from individuals and organisations across the border and those collected in the country, but the movement of weapons. Sadly, there are many weapons in Iraq that the people may use, so funding may not be used for purchase if they already have access to all the equipment that they need.

Paul Flynn (Newport, West) (Lab): Two of my constituents, Helen and Kevin Williams, have been doing humanitarian work in Baghdad for the past two
 
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years. They report a recent deterioration of the situation, and in fact two of their fellow workers in the charity were killed last week. They say that there is increased violence and there are more no-go areas partly because of the actions taken by the Iraqi authorities. Is the Minister convinced that the actions of the Iraqis on policing and running prisons meet acceptable standards of international human rights?

Mr. Ingram: In my answer to the urgent question I indicated that we recognise that it will take time to make the Iraqi security forces fully capable. We should remember that it takes tremendous bravery for them to take action against the determined people whom they are up against, and many lives have been lost through their willingness to do so. Non-governmental organisations and those who work in such organisations on the ground can give us a better understanding of situations; so if my hon. Friend can get his constituents to write a detailed background of their experiences, I ask him to pass it on to me and the Foreign Office.

Dr. Vincent Cable (Twickenham) (LD): Given the evidence that the rebels are pursuing an increasingly successful campaign of sabotage against oil installations in the south of Iraq, what are the precise responsibilities of the British forces as regards the protection of production and distribution facilities?

Mr. Ingram: Our relationship with the forces has been set up precisely to protect the infrastructure, primarily the oil pipeline, processing plants and electricity plants. We work to try to apprehend people who do such things—if we can get there at the time they are doing so—and to take action against them. We have an important role to play on that because we have helped to rebuild the country not only through the money that we have put in, but through the many projects that we have commissioned using either our direct funding or international funds. We have a clear role that we shall continue to carry out to the best of our ability.

Jeremy Corbyn (Islington, North) (Lab): What representations were made to the Government of Iraq following their banning of al-Jazeera from the country, thus preventing it from reporting to the Arab world what it believes to be going on in Iraq at present? Is the Minister worried about the attitude towards freedom of speech shown by the Iraqi Interim Government?

Mr. Ingram: Not that I am aware of, but I shall draw my hon. Friend's question to the attention of my colleagues in the Foreign Office, who might have better information on the matter.

Mr. John Redwood (Wokingham) (Con): How does the level of violence against Iraqi personnel compare with that against coalition personnel, and are the Government pledged to making sufficient resources available for training and helping the Iraqi security forces so that an early and orderly transfer of authority is possible?
 
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