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by Jack Straw, British Foreign Secretary

The famous British novelist, Graham Greene, once remarked that "there is always a moment when the door opens and lets the future in." The world witnessed such a moment as we all watched the statue of Saddam Hussein toppled from its plinth in central Baghdad.

The stunning pictures from Fardous Square - where it happened - did not just symbolise the end of a 24-year reign of terror. They also marked the point when an oppressed people could begin to look forward to a prosperous future, free from the threat of intimidation, torture and summary execution. We saw the fall of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's base, with little resistance.

It is time to turn our energies to winning the peace. Of course there is no room for complacency. Iraq's potential - its cultural riches, its wealth of natural resources, and its talented people - is extraordinary. But realising this potential and repairing the damage caused by Saddam's rule will take an immense effort.

The civil disorder which we recently witnessed across the cities of Iraq reminds us that the challenges for the international community do not disappear with the collapse of the Ba'ath regime.

We should not be surprised by the people of Iraq turning against the institutions of a state which had for three decades held them in fear and repression. Of course I do not condone the disorder, and we are now, thankfully, seeing considerable improvements in the situation. Coalition forces, working with ordinary Iraqi people, are beginning to bring stability to the streets of Iraq. It is a partnership - of the international community working together with ordinary Iraqi people - which will, more generally and in the longer term, bring peace, prosperity and stability back to Iraq.

We have been giving a huge amount of thought to the post-conflict arrangements in Iraq. Our immediate priority is to ensure the delivery of food, medicine and humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq. British forces are already heavily involved in the provision of essential aid and the organisation of basic services in the South. In this, they are working closely with UN agencies and non-governmental organisations.

As well as restoring order on the ground and improving the humanitarian situation, we need to look at the post-Saddam era. A dictatorship has been removed. But what will fill the vacuum?

There is in fact a great deal of common ground on the ends: the creation of a stable and prosperous Iraq, run by the Iraqi people, disarmed of its weapons of mass destruction and living in peace with its neighbours. Discussion will focus on the means. Our position is clear. The United Nations should play a vital role in the rehabilitation of Iraq. We will seek the adoption of new United Nations Security Council Resolutions which reaffirm Iraq's territorial integrity, ensure the rapid delivery of humanitarian relief and endorse an appropriate post-conflict administration for Iraq.

We also support the early formation of an Iraqi Interim Authority which progressively will assume the functions of government. The coalition will need to work with the United Nations in establishing this body. At the right moment, I envisage a national conference bringing together credible representatives from all parts of Iraqi society to agree on the establishment of this Interim Authority.

Managing the transition from dictatorship to democracy in Iraq is an enormous challenge. The international community will have to commit financial and human resources to Iraq for years to come. Some commentators are already suggesting that the task is beyond us, that international efforts to promote reconciliation and nation-building will prove no match for age-old ethnic and tribal rivalries.

I don't underestimate the scale of the challenge. But we can take heart from recent precedents. In Afghanistan, the Afghan people now have a genuinely representative government. Almost two million refugees who fled the brutality of the Taliban regime have returned. In the Balkans, dictatorship has been replaced by democracy. The people of Kosovo no longer live in fear of persecution. They are beginning to enjoy the privileges of freedom which western democracies have long taken for granted.

The task of the international community is to bring these privileges to the people of Iraq. To those who argue that we are doomed to failure, I simply say this.

One of the abiding lessons of the twentieth century was that the values of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law ultimately triumphed over the greatest threats. I have no doubt that, with international support, these same values will take root in Iraq. They will be the foundation for the prosperous future every Iraqi parent wants for their children. And they will provide a fitting memorial to the millions of victims of Saddam's dictatorship.

(British High Commission)

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