Iraq

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 11:00 am on 21 March 2003.

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Photo of Geoff Hoon Geoff Hoon Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence 11:00, 21 March 2003

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his support. I emphasise that of the hundreds of oil wells in southern Iraq, a relatively small number—about 30—have been set on fire to date. That emphasises the importance to us of securing that part of Iraq for the long-term benefit of the people of that country.

We are continuing to discuss with Turkey the nature of overflight rights. The Turkish authorities are being positive and helpful, which we welcome.

As set out in our military objectives, contained in a statement that I placed in the Library yesterday, we are absolutely committed to the territorial integrity of Iraq. We want Iraq to be quickly restored to its rightful place in the international community.

As for missile types, a number of different missiles were used. Analysis to determine their exact nature is continuing, not least because two were comprehensively destroyed by Patriot missiles.