I thank the Minister for that very short reply. Would he accept that the war which this Government supported has been entirely counterproductive, that it has destabilised the entire country of Iraq, that it has sown the seeds for further terrorism and has resulted in the deaths of many innocent Iraqis? When the Minister observes what has happened, does he have any regrets about supporting this war? Specifically, does the Minister accept that what America is now engaged in is a military exercise or operation because, when the Minister was justifying the use of Shannon, he told me in reply to a parliamentary question that he would allow Shannon to be used only if it was not part of a military exercise or operation. What is going on in Iraq now? Is it a military operation? Is it a military exercise? Can the Minister clarify where he is coming from on that?
In replying to previous questions the Minister has been quite vague and has performed his usual trick of not telling us where he stands. It seems it is possible for Mr. Chirac or Mr. Schröder to say where they stand but not for the Minister. I am asking where specifically the Minister stands on the question of the transfer of sovereignty.
Second, where does the Minister stand on the question of who should be in charge of this oper ation? Should it be UN-led or should it be led by the US? These are fundamental questions when it comes to this new resolution.