Blair and Howard clash over Red Cross Iraq report
In their weekly clash at Prime Minister’s Questions, Conservative leader Michael Howard has pressed the Prime Minister for a reason as to why ministers did not see a Red Cross report detailing allegations of abuse by UK and US troops for three months after it was first sent to the government.
Tony Blair insisted that there was no proof to substantiate allegations against UK troops. He had not seen the report until Monday, and ministers had not needed to see it as investigations were already underway for most of the allegations, he maintained.
The Conservative leader opened by asking when the Prime Minister had first seen the report, given to the government in February. Tony Blair responded that he had first seen the report on Monday, and stated that there was no evidence to substantiate allegations against British troops.
Michael Howard responded that on 26 February the staff of the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to Iraq had seen the report, and that London had been informed of it the next day. The Conservative leader noted that the report contained ‘devastating’ allegations which had led to the ‘greatest crisis’ in Iraq, adding immeasurably to the dangers faced by occupying forces. He called on the Prime Minister to explain why he had not seen such a vital report for three months.
Tony Blair replied that any such abuse would be condemned ‘completely and unequivocally by anyone’. He went on to detail the accusations against British troops contained in reports and action taken on this. The Red Cross report had three allegations relating to prisoners – a death in custody, which had already been investigated, the hooding of prisoners, which had been stopped by February, and the theft of a car, which had not been pursued.
On the human rights of civilians, Tony Blair revealed that 33 cases were subject to investigation. Of these, 21 had been completed, with the military police deciding that 15 had no case to answer. The remaining six had led to recommendations and the military police will make announcements shortly on this. Twelve investigations were ongoing, he explained.
With respect to Amnesty International’s report, the Prime Minister stated that seven out of the eight cases highlighted were already known about and being investigated. There was ‘no evidence whatsoever’ of either systematic abuse or of ministers refusing to act on allegations relating to prisoners, he stated. The ‘only’ evidence was the photos in the Daily Mirror, he continued, and these were ‘almost certainly fake’. He was ‘proud’ of the work of British troops, he stated.
Tony Blair continued that it was ‘not correct’ that ministers had been aware of the allegations, as the Red Cross report had not been passed to them. ‘In any event’, he went on, the US had held an investigation into Abu Ghraib prison in January. Seventeen US soldiers have been suspended, with the first being charged in May 2003. Any abuse by any occupying forces is ‘completely unacceptable’ he concluded, but it was not true to say that no action was taken following allegations.
Michael Howard attacked the Prime Minister of having failed to explain why he had not seen such a crucial report for nearly three months. The government must ‘have a grip on what they are doing and what is gong on’, he stated. The Armed Forces Minister claimed never to have seen the report, the Defence Secretary had stated that he had not expected to see it, and the Foreign Secretary had stated that he should have seen it but hadn’t, he noted.
Tony Blair responded that he had not seen the report, for the explanation already given. The allegations against British troops had already been dealt with, he repeated, accusing the Conservative leader of ‘political mischief’. He concluded with the statement, the difference between a democracy and a dictatorship is that when ‘bad things happen’ in a democracy, action is taken.
