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30/05/2003
Blair rejects weapons dossier doctoring claim
Tony Blair has rejected suggestions that a Government dossier on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction was rewritten to make it “sexier”, branding the claims “completely absurd”.
The claims, which were made to the BBC on Thursday by a senior British intelligence official, emerged as Mr Blair became the first Western leader to visit Iraq after the end of the war.
At a press conference held this morning, the UK prime minister - currently in Poland where he is delivering a speech on the EU - said that Saddam Hussein’s chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programmes were not “some invention by the British security services" but had been well documented by the United Nations.
Mr Blair said that he had “no doubt” about the reliability of the evidence regarding Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction and stated: “The idea that we authorized or made our intelligence agencies invent some piece of evidence is completely absurd”.
The dossier, which was published last September, claimed that Saddam Hussein had the capacity to activate his biological and chemical weapons in just 45 minutes.
However, the intelligence official claimed that the dossier had been changed a week before it was published, on the orders of Downing Street and said that the statement regarding the time in which the weapons would be ready for use had not been included in the original draft, because it “wasn’t reliable”.
“Most things in the dossier were double source,” the official told the BBC. “But that was single source and we believe that the source was wrong.”
However, the official said that he was convinced that Iraq had a programme to manufacture weapons of mass destruction and said that it was around 30% likely that they had a biological programme. He also said that some of the evidence had been “downplayed” by chief UN weapons inspector, Hans Blix and added that captured Iraqi scientists had not yet provided much information.
Downing Street has stated that “not one word of the dossier was not entirely the work of the intelligence agencies”.
The Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee is to conduct an inquiry into the Government’s claims about Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Labour MP, Tam Dydell, who was opposed to the war in Iraq, has called for a Commons statement on the claims.
(KMcA)
The claims, which were made to the BBC on Thursday by a senior British intelligence official, emerged as Mr Blair became the first Western leader to visit Iraq after the end of the war.
At a press conference held this morning, the UK prime minister - currently in Poland where he is delivering a speech on the EU - said that Saddam Hussein’s chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programmes were not “some invention by the British security services" but had been well documented by the United Nations.
Mr Blair said that he had “no doubt” about the reliability of the evidence regarding Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction and stated: “The idea that we authorized or made our intelligence agencies invent some piece of evidence is completely absurd”.
The dossier, which was published last September, claimed that Saddam Hussein had the capacity to activate his biological and chemical weapons in just 45 minutes.
However, the intelligence official claimed that the dossier had been changed a week before it was published, on the orders of Downing Street and said that the statement regarding the time in which the weapons would be ready for use had not been included in the original draft, because it “wasn’t reliable”.
“Most things in the dossier were double source,” the official told the BBC. “But that was single source and we believe that the source was wrong.”
However, the official said that he was convinced that Iraq had a programme to manufacture weapons of mass destruction and said that it was around 30% likely that they had a biological programme. He also said that some of the evidence had been “downplayed” by chief UN weapons inspector, Hans Blix and added that captured Iraqi scientists had not yet provided much information.
Downing Street has stated that “not one word of the dossier was not entirely the work of the intelligence agencies”.
The Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee is to conduct an inquiry into the Government’s claims about Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Labour MP, Tam Dydell, who was opposed to the war in Iraq, has called for a Commons statement on the claims.
(KMcA)
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Weapons inspectors have met with the Libyan government today as the Chemical Weapons Convention, which the country adopted last month, comes into force. A team from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) were in Tripoli today after Libya became the 159th State to join the convention.
Libya adopts Chemical Weapons Convention
Weapons inspectors have met with the Libyan government today as the Chemical Weapons Convention, which the country adopted last month, comes into force. A team from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) were in Tripoli today after Libya became the 159th State to join the convention.
18 July 2003
Blair and Bush stand behind decision to go to war
Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George Bush have stood firm in their decision to go to war, amid continued questions over the reliability of key intelligence claims about Saddam Hussein's military capabilities.
Blair and Bush stand behind decision to go to war
Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George Bush have stood firm in their decision to go to war, amid continued questions over the reliability of key intelligence claims about Saddam Hussein's military capabilities.
12 January 2010
Campbell Quizzed On Iraq
Former Labour 'spin doctor' Alastair Campbell has told the Iraq Inquiry he stands over "every single word" of the 2002 dossier that led the UK into war. The document claimed Sudan Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.
Campbell Quizzed On Iraq
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25 October 2004
UK must act now to defend itself against bio-terrorism, says BMA
If the development of biological and genetic weapons is not curtailed, it will be "virtually impossible" for Britain to defend itself from terrorist bio-weapons attack, according to the British Medical Association (BMA).
UK must act now to defend itself against bio-terrorism, says BMA
If the development of biological and genetic weapons is not curtailed, it will be "virtually impossible" for Britain to defend itself from terrorist bio-weapons attack, according to the British Medical Association (BMA).
07 July 2003
MPs clear Campbell amid questioning of WMD claims
MPs have cleared Alastair Campbell of “sexing up” a crucial intelligence report but have agreed that too much credence was put on certain claims about Iraq’s weapons capability.
MPs clear Campbell amid questioning of WMD claims
MPs have cleared Alastair Campbell of “sexing up” a crucial intelligence report but have agreed that too much credence was put on certain claims about Iraq’s weapons capability.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:It will be cloudy again throughout the day. Mainly dry in the morning, but patchy drizzle in places, becoming more widespread and persistent in the afternoon. Freshening southwesterly winds. Maximum temperature 12 °C.Tonight:Cloudy with a spell of heavy rain pushing south through late evening and the early hours, followed by some clear spells. Minimum temperature 6 °C.
