[align=left] <H1>Iraq military coup a possibility, ambassador tells Chilcot inquiry[/align][align=left]

Establishment of democracy not a done deal, says John Jenkins
Buzz up!
Digg it
Richard Norton-Taylor
guardian.co.uk, Friday 8 January 2010 19.17 GMT
Article history
The establishment of democracy in Iraq is "not a done deal", Britain's ambassador to the country warned today. A military coup was "a real possibility", he said.
John Jenkins told the Chilcot inquiry that he had been told many senior officers in the Iraqi armed forces had served under Saddam Hussein.
"There is clearly a balance to be drawn between using the professional competence and experience of former army officers under Saddam to provide the backbone of the modern Iraqi security forces, and dealing with the suspicions and fears of others that this is the reintroduction of irreconcilable elements of the Ba'ath party," Jenkins said.
He said the recent spike in bombings in Baghdad had renewed accusations that unreconciled elements of Saddam's Ba'athist party were involved and aspired to be an "irredentist force within Iraq". Jenkins said: "If you look at the history of Iraq, of military coups in Iraq, you have to think that is always a real possibility in the future. But where we are at the moment is much better than we thought it would be, back in 2004-05."
Despite his warnings, Jenkins painted a relatively optimistic picture. He pointed to a high turnout of up to 60% in recent elections and described the political progress as "remarkable".


[/align]</H1>http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/ja...up-possibility