Results 1-20 of 34 for iraq speaker:John Maples

Debate on the Address: Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Defence (23 Nov 2009)

John Maples: ...acknowledge that it is our very presence that has focused, if not caused, the insurgency. That is a big factor. We have succeeded in uniting against us most of the Afghan insurgency, as we did in Iraq. I do not want to discuss Afghanistan, however, although I have a few words to say about it. Instead, I want to talk about the conduct of foreign policy over the last 12 years and how it will...

Opposition Day — [14th Allotted Day]: Iraq Inquiry (11 Jun 2007)

John Maples: ...we can inquire into them properly without in any way undermining the authority or effectiveness of what our troops and our coalition partners, particularly the United States, are trying to do in Iraq. I believe that it is a red herring for the Government to say that the timing is wrong. The timing is certainly wrong for a whole inquiry, but there would be nothing wrong with the timing of...

Opposition Day — [14th Allotted Day]: Iraq Inquiry (11 Jun 2007)

John Maples: ...to Iran and the possible, indeed almost certain, development of nuclear weapons, which I believe will confront us with a much more serious strategic and security threat than we ever faced in Iraq, or in Afghanistan with al-Qaeda's bases there. It goes back to the Prime Minister's philosophy of intervention. I have always been dubious about the concept of humanitarian intervention. I do not...

Written Answers — Defence: Body Armour (2 Oct 2006)

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether all serving military personnel in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan are provided with body armour which protects vital organs in addition to the heart; and whether soldiers being sent to each country will be issued with the old body armour which protects the heart only.

Oral Answers to Questions — Prime Minister: Engagements (17 May 2006)

John Maples: The Prime Minister says that our forces in Iraq are doing a wonderful job, and, of course, they are—we all acknowledge that. However, the Saddam Hussein regime was overthrown three years ago, yet the violence is getting worse all the time, even in the south of the country. Our forces are often the target of terrorist attacks, and the very presence of coalition forces is used by...

Iraq (31 Jan 2005)

Mr John Maples: The manner in which yesterday's elections appear to have been conducted is the best news to have come out of Iraq for a very long time, but it remains to be seen whether it improves the security situation. I rather doubt that that will be so in the short term, but, as more and more Iraqis show their support for the Government that they have elected, perhaps support for the terrorists will...

War against Terrorism (4 Nov 2004)

Mr John Maples: ...Friend the Member for Chichester (Mr. Tyrie) has made a typically thoughtful and all-encompassing speech about aspects of foreign affairs. I agree with much of what he said, and what he said about Iraq is almost entirely true. I have a long and substantial speech of my own brewing about Iraq; hon. Members will he happy that I am not going to make it today, but it is coming along. I do not...

Oral Answers to Questions — Prime Minister: Engagements (9 Jun 2004)

Mr John Maples: I join the Deputy Prime Minister in welcoming yesterday's unanimous United Nations Security Council resolution on Iraq, but I am sure that he would agree that much more needs to be done to rebuild the unity and cohesion of the transatlantic alliance. Will he tell us what specific issues the Prime Minister will try to persuade his European counterparts to rebuild that unity around?

Iraq (7 Jun 2004)

Mr John Maples: I am sure that the Foreign Secretary shares my deep concern at the damage that has been done to the Atlantic alliance during the past 18 months by the Iraq war. In negotiating the new United Nations Security Council resolution, will he emphasise strongly to his counterparts in France and Germany the importance of using it as an opportunity to start to rebuild the unity and cohesiveness of the...

Iraq: UK Forces Adjustments (27 May 2004)

Mr John Maples: ...offered support consistently since the war started. He did not answer a single question that my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Soames) posed. Last week at Defence questions and in the Iraq debate, the Secretary of State said that there were no plans to send any further troops to Iraq. The next day, the quality broadsheets all said—they had clearly been briefed because...

Written Answers — Defence: UN Operations (24 May 2004)

Mr John Maples: ...for Defence what representations he has made to his US counterpart regarding the International Committee of the Red Cross report on the treatment by the Coalition forces of prisoners of war in Iraq.

War against Terrorism (20 May 2004)

Mr John Maples: ...a decision and Britain could take a lead in such matters. We have some credibility in the north Atlantic alliance now, and rather more than the United States. Most of the mistakes that have been made in Iraq were made by that country, not Britain. Most of the really bad maltreatment of the detainees has been by America, and the mistakes that were made at the beginning of setting up the...

Iraq (17 May 2004)

Mr John Maples: ...will somehow bail us out of the problems that we have encountered. Why it has taken us until 15 months after the end of the war to reach the point of handing over power to a more representative Iraqi Government—or transitional authority, or whatever it is to be called—I simply do not know. We persevered for more than a year with a group of people who were largely selected by...

Iraq (17 May 2004)

Mr John Maples: ...could have tried harder to bring about peace in the region than President Clinton did in the last year of his Administration. We have to try to leave behind us a stable and, hopefully, democratic Iraq. We are relying heavily on Mr. Brahimi to give some authority to the transitional administration and to ensure that it has a large measure of credibility and support among the...

Iraq: Security/Mistreatment Allegations (10 May 2004)

Mr John Maples: ...by ensuring complete openness. I refer the Secretary of State again to an Amnesty press release from last Friday, which said: "Last July Amnesty raised allegations of torture and ill-treatment of Iraqi detainees"— not just people whom they met on the street, but detainees— "in a memorandum to the US Government and the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq." When did the...

Constitution for Europe (Referendum) (12 Nov 2003)

Mr John Maples: ...the St. Malo agreement and subsequently spent four years trying to ensure that European security and defence identity is pulled back into NATO. In the aftermath of the problems in Europe over the Iraq war, a little more leeway is being given on European defence. The Prime Minister must pull that back, too. We are becoming schizophrenic about the matter and that makes for bad policy. It is...

Iraq (Judicial Inquiry) (22 Oct 2003)

Mr John Maples: The Minister said that in answer to a parliamentary question the Attorney-General published part of his legal advice. I entirely accept that Iraq was in breach of the revived ceasefire resolution and resolution 1441, but I have never understood whether it is part of the legal argument that one or two members of the Security Council can take it upon themselves to use military force to enforce...

Iraq (16 Jul 2003)

Mr John Maples: ...of international law. There was absolutely no justification for it. If there is a doctrine of humanitarian intervention, it would not have extended to that. It certainly would have extended to Iraq, but that is not the case that was made. I rejoiced in the outcome. I believe that the policy that we and the United States are pursuing will result in great benefits in the region....

Iraq (16 Jul 2003)

Mr John Maples: ...when it was published because it was common sense, considering what UNSCOM and UNMOVIC found. As a witness told us, it would have been irresponsible to come to any conclusion other than that Iraq had a WMD capability. One has increasing doubts while such weapons are not found but, of course, if they are, that will be the end of the argument, and the Government's case will have been...

Iraq (18 Mar 2003)

Mr John Maples: ...is no point in paying one of those expensive people if they are not going to say what one wants to hear. I wish to explore the views of many of those who are rebelling against the Government over Iraq but were perfectly content with the action that the Government took in Kosovo. We did not get even one United Nations Security Council resolution for Kosovo. We relied on a doctrine of...