Minute manning to prime minister security in baghdad

SECURITY IN BAGHDAD You will see from the letter below that the Chiefs - I suspect principally CDS - have set their face against moving 16 Air Assault Brigade to Baghdad to help with six weeks police training. It looks as though MoD has also ventriloquised to say he anyway doesn't want our help - certainly not Bremer's view when I was in Baghdad on Tuesday. I think most of the arguments in the letter are spurious. In my view, it would be worth doing this when time is critical and even relatively small initiatives might card has probably snookered us. I make a difference. But playing the doubt whether it is worth you challenging the advice. Better, now to urge DFID to press ahead with plans to set up the police training school. DAVID MANNING DECLASSIFIED