Minute watkins to dg op pol iraq phase iv

DG Op Pol Copy to: PS/Minister(AF) PSO/CDS PS/PUS Sec/CNS MA/CGS PS/CAS PS/VCDS MA/DCDS(C) Policy Director DGCC Head of Sec(Iraq) Head of Sec(O) Head of Sec(HSF) Special Advisers IRAQ: PHASE IV Washington have warned us that the US Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, plans to phone the Secretary of State and the Polish Defence Minister on Monday about Phase IV contributions. He is likely to ask the UK and Poland to head up a division each. 2. This approach is not, of course, entirely unexpected and Mr Hoon will wish to give an encouraging - if not necessarily definitive - response. It would therefore be helpful if the following preparatory work could be set in hand: • Informal soundings of the US over the weekend on the likely nature of the request (i.e when, for how long, where?) and how it fits with wider US thinking (total number of divisions?). • Initial assumptions on the extent of likely contributions from other countries to a UK-led division. • Initial assessment of the feasibility of the task and its implications for other commitments. DECLASSISED were meetly on monday morning. We nad already arranged a meeting on the balance between Operation TELIC (including Phase IV) and other commitments (including Operation FRESCO) for later in the day. We will let you know as soon as Rumsfeld's office makes contact to confirm the timing of the phone call. lete Wall PD WATKINS PS/Secretary of State DECLASSIFIED