Dr Julian Lewis: Does the Foreign Secretary think that it would ever be sensible or practicable for Coalition forces in Iraq to hand over power while Saddam Hussein remains at large?

[The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Jack Straw): I do not make that a precondition for transfer of power, nor does the resolution. The precondition for a transfer of power is that there should be an effective, operating sovereign Government in Iraq with security forces at their disposal. One of the good things that has happened in the past six months is the build-up of security forces: there are now 40,000 police officers and many more are in training, and there are at least 20,000 other security officers. Battalions of the Iraqi army are also in training.]