This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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FM urges Parliament to support troops
19/03/2003
First Minister Jack McConnell today made a statement to
Parliament on contingency planning for the current
international situation.
He said:
Presiding Officer, now that the Armed Forces of the
United Kingdom stand ready to take military action to
disarm Saddam Hussein in Iraq, it is right that we in this
Parliament should consider the implications for our
devolved responsibilities.
We held a mature debate here last Thursday and I hope we
behave in the same way again this afternoon, but events
have now moved on. Military action by British and US
troops is now very close. It is still just possible that
war can be avoided, if Saddam Hussein himself allows it,
but we have to face the probability that he will not.
Problem of Iraq
I think that all MSPs here are agreed that it would have
been preferable if this action could have been avoided. But
that, ultimately, is down to the regime of Saddam Hussein,
who for more than twelve years has chosen to defy the
international community.
United Nations
We are all, I think, also agreed, that it would have
been better if Military action had been preceded by a
further UN resolution. Unfortunately, that was not
possible.
There is, in the view of the legal advisers to the UK
Government, a basis in International Law for military
action. The UK Government with the backing of the UK
Parliament and together with the Governments of the United
States of America and other countries has decided that the
time to act is now.
Decision of UK Government
These are properly decisions for the United Kingdom
Government and Parliament - and they have taken them.
Presiding Officer, these are difficult and trying
times. I recognise that others can sincerely and in good
faith hold different views. I respect the diversity of
views. We all have worries and concerns. But the time for
agonising is past. The decision is taken. Our military
forces now face a dangerous and difficult task.
Here in our devolved Scottish government, the
partnership parties have taken a different route on this
issue in the wider sense. But it is a reflection of the
maturity of the partnership here in Scotland that we are
now able to work together, taking our responsibilities
seriously, to serve the people of Scotland in this
difficult time. Scottish Ministers will do what is
right.
Consequences for Scotland: Scottish Military
and Families
Presiding Officer, two consequences follow. Our country
faces war. Young men and women from all across the United
Kingdom are facing a dangerous and life-threatening
challenge. Two Scottish Army regiments - the Royal Scots
Dragoon Guards and the Black Watch - are key members of the
British Army contingent.
RAF personnel from bases here in Scotland are on active
duty in the Gulf. Naval personnel from Rosyth, Marine
Commandos from Arbroath, regular and reserve members of the
forces from all across Scotland are ready and waiting to do
their duty.
In all parts of Scotland, wives, husbands and partners,
parents and children are worried - proud certainly, but
worried too - about a husband or wife, a son or a daughter,
father or mother - engaged in a dangerous conflict in a
far-off land. We in this Parliament owe them, and British
troops, our care and our clear support and they will have
it.
In addition, now that the decision is made, we need to
look to our own responsibilities here in devolved Scotland
and it is to these that I now turn.
Responsibilities of Scottish Ministers
The constitutional position was touched on during last
week's debate and Members will be well aware of those
responsibilities - Defence, Foreign Affairs and National
Security - which are reserved. Scottish Ministers are
however responsible for policing, including public order
and public safety, emergency planning, community relations
and any other effects military action may have on devolved
matters.
This military action comes against a background of
heightened concern about international terrorism as well as
concerns about tension in our communities. The risk of
terrorism following the events of September 11 has resulted
in a high state of alert.
That remains the case, and I have to say to members, as
I have said for some months now, it is important that we
should stay alert and vigilant, not panicking or giving the
terrorists a victory by letting them disrupt our daily
lives. There remains no specific threat to Scotland at
this time.
However, it is important that we prepare against the
possibility of terrorist attack by continued work on
contingency planning. In Scotland this is based on 8
emergency planning groups covering each of our 8 police
force areas. This work is co-ordinated by the
Executive-led Scottish Emergencies Co-ordinating
Committee.
As a result of action over the past year, we are now
better prepared to deal with chemical or biological
attacks, through training, the provision of decontamination
equipment and the stockpiling of vaccines by the NHS. We
have made significant progress, but our work continues to
protect the public.
It is possible that military action to disarm Saddam
Hussein could be used as a pretext for violence by
extremists and a number of measures are being taken to
guard against this. Our Chief Constables have established
a Scottish Police Information Co-ordination Centre
specifically structured to deal with the current
situation.
Jim Wallace and I visited the centre this morning. It
will carry out intelligence co-ordination and other work,
including the monitoring of community tension. This will
assist in identifying the need for preventative measures
and, where there is an incident, action needed to deal with
this.
I was greatly assured by my briefing this morning. It
is clear that this difficult situation is being tackled
with considerable professionalism and sensitivity. I want
to congratulate the Scottish Police forces for setting up
these arrangements so quickly and effectively.
The Scottish Executive Emergency Room has been opened
this afternoon and will operate to ensure that Ministers
are fully informed of any developments and that any
Ministerial actions which are required can be taken
quickly. Scottish Ministers will also continue to take part
in Civil Contingency Committee meetings which are being
held regularly to monitor the position at a UK level.
Our contingency preparations also include the National
Health Service in Scotland, as elsewhere in the UK,
preparing to deal with the casualties of any action. We
have robust and flexible plans in place with the local
authorities and other partners to deal with any increased
demand. We have also made plans to cope with the call up
of NHS staff.
At the meeting of the Scottish cabinet this morning, we
agreed to set up the Scottish Cabinet Contingencies Group
to deal with contingency planning throughout any period of
conflict, including during April if necessary. I will
chair the Group. The Deputy First Minister, Malcolm
Chisholm and Patricia Ferguson will be members of the
Group.
We will meet our responsibilities and fulfil our
obligations. We will provide leadership where it is
required, making contingency plans in the way I have
described and we must keep under review the economic
impacts too. It is likely that any conflict will have an
effect on trade and on tourism and we will have to monitor
those impacts and take appropriate action to manage
them.
Presiding Officer, these are testing times. But they
are not times for us to let go of our basic values of
humanity, tolerance and democracy. This is military action
against the evil regime of Saddam Hussein, and it is
emphatically not an attack or an excuse for an attack on
Islam, on Muslim Communities here in Scotland. It must not
result in violence against other minority groups or those
seeking asylum in this country.
I heard at first hand when I went to the Central Mosque
in Glasgow earlier this month, about some of the
intolerance intimidation and abuse that our ethnic minority
communities are already facing and have faced in similar
situations before now.
So we send a clear signal from this Parliament today.
We will not accept such behaviour in Scotland, whether it
takes the form of bullying in schools or racially motivated
attacks on people their property or their places of
worship.
The Solicitor General, Elish Angiolini, met with the
Commission for Racial Equality and Scotland's Race Equality
Councils on March 6 and assured them of our determination
to deal with racist crime. The Deputy First Minister has
recently visited members of our minority Communities to
reassure them about this. Scottish Ministers continue to
seek opportunities to get this message across at a local
level and I am confident that this is a task which members
of other parties will support.
Presiding Officer, these are deeply worrying times.
No-one can view the start of a war - especially a war with
fearsome weaponry - with anything other than horror.
But the decision is made - made in our democratic
parliament - and our country is committed. We must all
hope for a swift and successful conflict, after which we
will make every effort to help and support the ordinary
people of Iraq rebuild their society.
For now, it is our responsibility to make clear that our
Armed Forces have this Parliament's wholehearted support;
that we as Ministers stand ready to cope with the domestic
impact of this action and that nothing can excuse
intolerance of minority communities here in Scotland. We
must all hope and pray that the war will be short with
minimum casualties and an outcome that helps to secure a
better world.