Straw gives upbeat view of Iraq situation

The vast majority of Saddam Hussein's forces have been defeated, dispersed, or isolated, the Foreign Secretary has told the House of Commons.

In his update to MPs, Jack Straw also said that looting and civil disorder has declined and schools and markets are reopening across the country. Steps towards the creation of an Interim Authority are continuing, he said, with the second meeting of Iraqi representatives in Baghdad today.

However, Investigations into Iraq's weapons of mass destruction were "unlikely to be quick", Mr Straw said, and the inspection process will be "painstaking and detailed".

"The testimony from scientists and documentation about WMD development and production programmes will be the key to determining the fate of prohibited equipment, materials and munitions," he said.

"But we cannot expect witnesses to come forward until they are fully confident they can speak freely."

The evidence against Iraq when UN Security Council Resolution 1441 was passed "was, and remains, overwhelming".

Turning to the Middle East peace process, Mr Straw said that the region "will never look forward to a secure future as long as a settlement to the region's most intractable dispute remains beyond reach."

The government had worked "tirelessly" to secure the publication and implementation of the roadmap, which sets out a path to a peaceful settlement between the Israelis and Palestinians, Mr Straw said.

"We will maintain our very close dialogue with the United States to push this process forward and we will do all we can with them and our European partners to help with implementation of the Roadmap," the foreign secretary told MPs.

(GMcG)