US tactics 'heavy handed' says Straw memo

THE FIRST cracks in Britain’s coalition with the United States over the occupation of Iraq were exposed last night by a leaked government memo which revealed deep misgivings about America’s "heavy-handed" tactics in the war-torn country.

The damning document, produced by a team working for Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, disclosed private reservations within Tony Blair’s administration about Washington’s approach to the post-war occupation.

The detailed memo, sent to senior ministers and top officials last week as a "progress report" on the occupation, stressed the need for the UK government to press the Americans to soften their approach and avoid aggressive responses "which would jeopardise our objectives".

It also talked of "the need to redouble our efforts to ensure a sensitive and sensible US approach to military operations".

The revelations shatter the government’s long-held insistence that there are no differences between Downing Street and the White House over Iraq.

The six-page memo suggests that the US tactics have particularly damaged support among ordinary Iraqis and stirred up much of the unrest which has exploded into violence in recent months.

And, in a startling admission, it also declares that the "scandal" over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in Coalition-run jails has damaged the "moral authority" of Britain and the US as they struggle to justify their decision to overthrow Saddam Hussein’s dictatorial regime.

"We should not underestimate the present difficulties," the document states, in a section headed ‘Problems’. "Heavy-handed US military tactics in Fallujah and Najaf some weeks ago have fuelled both Sunni and Shi’ite opposition to the Coalition and lost us much public support inside Iraq."

The memo, reported in the Sunday Times, adds: "The scandal of the treatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib [prison] has sapped the moral authority of the Coalition, inside Iraq and internationally."

The document also discloses that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is considering two options for troop deployments to reinforce its military presence in southern Iraq, both of which would involve extending the area patrolled by British soldiers.

Since the scandal over the brutal abuse of prisoners at the US-run Abu Ghraib facility, Blair has been scrupulously careful not to criticise the conduct of his American allies, despite growing calls at home to distance his administration from that of President George Bush over the issue.

But Straw’s team in the Foreign Office have been less restrained. The official briefing document, produced by the Iraq directorate within his department, was issued on May 19 and entitled ‘Iraq: The Medium Term’. It was circulated to the most senior figures in the government amid hectic preparations for the handover of sovereignty back to the Iraqis at the end of next month.

But while it openly discusses the private concerns of the government over the progress of the occupation, the document also provides ministers with a series of "public lines to take", apparently to cover up the concerns. The official script instructs ministers to go no further than acknowledging that "the security situation in Iraq is difficult".

The shocking disclosures about the strength of feeling over Iraq within the government will add to the growing pressure on Blair to voice the mounting criticisms of US policy to President George Bush himself.

Tory leader Michael Howard last week added to the Prime Minister’s discomfort by criticising his "new doctrine" of not making public the private advice he is giving the Americans over the worsening situation in Iraq. Blair is planning a push to win international support for a new United Nations resolution recognising the new Iraqi government. But critics claim his campaign will be more credible at home and abroad if he is seen to be prepared to stand up to Bush over the growing international concerns about the direction Iraq is taking since Saddam was removed.

The spiral of violence continued yesterday when deputy interior minister General Abdel Jabar was injured and five people killed in a car bombing near the minister’s home in Baghdad. The danger posed to civilians and armed forces in Iraq was further laid bare last night by the revelation that the UK government is paying out millions to "mercenary" security companies to protect its staff stationed in the country.

Scotland on Sunday has discovered that a private security company headed by former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind is making millions from a contract to protect Foreign Office staff working in Iraq.

ArmorGroup, the biggest security firm working in Iraq, is one of two companies that have raked in a total of 15m between them for providing round-the-clock cover in the treacherous environment of post-war Iraq during the past year.

Rifkind, the Tory candidate for Kensington and Chelsea, sparked protests from political opponents last month when he took over the chairmanship of ArmorGroup, which has 700 employees in Iraq.

Straw has admitted ArmorGroup and Control Risks are being paid a combined total of 50,000 every day to protect bureaucrats stationed in Iraq, amid mounting concerns about the safety of civilians in the war-torn country.

The fee was described as a "minuscule amount" by one government official last night. But furious MPs condemned the outlay as "appalling value for money", and claimed the government should not be ploughing money into a controversial industry that is making huge profits as part of the reconstruction effort in Iraq.

More than a dozen firms, many employing former servicemen, have been registered to work in Iraq, protecting politicians, civil servants and staff at several of the companies that have won contracts to rebuild Iraq’s shattered infrastructure.

But the security bill is swallowing up a huge chunk of the $18bn set aside by the Americans for rebuilding the country.

"Some of the firms in Iraq provide very good protection, but I am very concerned that the government is paying so much money for it," said Labour MP Andrew Mackinlay.

"There are few ground rules for what these companies are allowed to do. I would like to think our government could provide this sort of protection from its own forces, particularly when so many of the people working for these security companies have left the forces."

Private security companies have an estimated 10,000 guards in Iraq. Their lucrative trade has provoked a series of complaints about the influence of heavily armed personnel who are not under the direct control of official forces.

President Bush will make a further bid to reassure the world of his Iraq policy tomorrow. During a keynote address in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, he will outline his strategy for steering Iraq to self-rule on June 30.

His preparations for the televised address were disrupted when he fell off his mountain bike during a 17-mile trek yesterday, suffering minor cuts to his face and body.