A service of commemoration honouring British military and civilian personnel who served in Iraq was held at St Paul's Cathedral, London, on 9 October.

The service, attended by the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prime Minister, honoured the 120,000 members of the armed forces and civil servants who served in Iraq and remembered those who gave their lives.

The commemoration service was also attended by the British Ambassador in Iraq, Christopher Prentice. Ahead of the service he said:

"The Iraqis that I meet express gratitude for what Britain has done in liberating them from the dictatorship and setting them on the path they’re on now and we can see that in the absence of the dictatorship we’ve now got a growing democracy in the region which is really a first and they can be an example in the region."

Discussing the transition process, he said:

"The troops that we trained, twenty thousand Army, twenty thousand Police, are part of an Iraqi security force now which has full responsibility for their own security.  There are continuing incidents.  It’s not normal, but it is rapidly normalising and I think the Iraqis are asserting an Iraqi national interest in relation to their neighbours, in relation with their former partners.  They're pleased, as we are, that the period of our military presence has come to an end.  They’ve taken responsibility for their own security and we are now moving forward in to a real partnership."

Read the full transcript of his interview

Gordon Brown attended the service after welcoming Iraq President Jalal Talabani to Downing Street for talks earlier in the day.

The PM took the opportunity to express gratitude for President Talabani’s attendance at the Service, recognising the symbolism of the presence of the Head of State from the new democratic Iraq.

 

Notes for Editors

British Embassy in Iraq

Number 10

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