18 December 2003
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw held a press conference on 17 December following talks with the President of the Iraqi Governing Council, His Excellency Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, and the International Development Secretary, Hilary Benn.
Mr Straw said that their aim was to work together for a free, stable and democratic Iraq, run by the Iraqis themselves.
"We have agreed that we want to see power transferred as soon as possible. When that happens, Iraq will be a sovereign nation and we will be celebrating that achievement."
He added:
"There is a very great deal of work to be done on reconstruction, on the political process and on security. But Iraq is unquestionably a better place at the end of 2003 than ever it was at the beginning of this year, and we look forward to further progress in 2004."
The Foreign Secretary called the capture of Saddam Hussein a "momentous event for Iraq".
He reaffirmed the UK position against the death penalty, but said that an independent Iraq will be making its own sovereign decisions.
"The policy of the United Kingdom, its government and its parliament, is well established. We are against the death penalty. That is our sovereign decision, with which a democratic Iraq may or may not agree."
delicious
digg
facebook
