LONDON, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Britain's outgoing ambassador to Iraq warned Prime Minister Tony Blair Iraq is headed for civil war and break-up along ethnic lines.
The confidential memo to Blair from William Patey was leaked after Patey departed Baghdad last week, the BBC reported.
Patey predicted the country's reconstruction would be "messy for five to 10 years, but also wrote "the position is not hopeless."
"The prospect of a low intensity civil war and a de facto division of Iraq is probably more likely at this stage than a successful and substantial transition to a stable democracy," Patey wrote.
Apart from Blair, the distribution list of the diplomatic cable included Britain's foreign secretary, defense secretary, the House of Commons leader and senior military commanders in Iraq and Britain.
Wednesday, Iraq's President Jalal Talabani said Iraqi police and troops would be taking the bulk of security operations from the U.S.-led coalition throughout the country by the end of the year.
