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INTERNATIONAL: Envoy's Fears of 'Low-Level Civil War'

Posted on: Monday, 27 February 2006, 06:00 CST

Britain's former envoy to Iraq has warned that the country is almost in a state of "low-level civil war".

Ethnic cleansing is taking place in many of Iraq's cities as the country's racial and religious groups seek to establish their own communal areas, said Sir Jeremy Greenstock.

It was "essential" that British and American troops remain in the country to give local people some hope of peace and democracy, he said. But he acknowledged that they may be forced to leave if homegrown security forces give up on efforts to stop the violence.

Sir Jeremy, who served as British ambassador to the United Nations in the run-up to the 2003 war and was then sent to Baghdad by Tony Blair, was speaking after days of communal violence in the wake of the destruction of one of Iraq's most sacred Shia shrines.

At least two people died when a bomb exploded at a bus station in the predominantly Shia city of Hillah yesterday.

Their deaths added to the toll of more than 150 killed in tit- for-tat reprisals between Shia and Sunni communities following the blast at the al-Askari mosque in Samarra on Wednesday.

Iraq's President Jalal Talabani has warned of the danger of civil war.

But Sir Jeremy said: "One could almost call it a low-level civil war already. I don't think there will be a classic civil war of armies taking over territories. It hasn't happened yet, but I think the danger is a breaking down into local societies turning to local militias and local leaders to look after them and ignoring central authorities.

"The unity of the country, the forward progress of the country would be lost."

Sir Jeremy said that there was already considerable violence between Iraq's communal groups before the Samarra blast.

He added that conditions were moving towards a point when British troops would have to be withdrawn but insisted this moment was still "a long way" down the line.

"I think it is essential for the coalition to stay, otherwise the hope of ordinary people that there can be some structure in their lives and a new Iraq and the time needed for the Iraqi security forces to take over will not be there."

"I think so far there has been a tremendous tolerance within Iraqi society.

"They want a new Iraq. They want a democracy. They have shown they want a vote. The political process is still on the timetable.

"But they can't get away from this continual violence aimed at dividing sectarian communities and I think it is beginning to have an effect now."

Source: Birmingham Post; Birmingham (UK)

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