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25/06/2003
Campbell admits 'regrets' over discredited Iraq dossier
The Prime Minister's director of communications has told the foreign affairs committee today that he "regrets" mistakes made in the drafting process of the 'dodgy dossier' on Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Alistair Campbell was speaking to the committee today, following Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's admission of "embarrassment" over the discredited dossier in yesterday's session.
The 'dodgy dossier' was published in February in the final stages of diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue of Iraq's WMDs. It was later found to have been substantially lifted from an academic study on the situation in Iraq during the first Iraq war – 12 years previously.
Mr Campbell also offered an apology to Ibrahim al-Marahi, the academic whose work was plagiarised. He said that an overhaul of procedures had been completed that would cut out such an incident from occurring again.
Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Donald Anderson explained Mr Campbell had been asked to appear before the committee to answer specific questions over whether intelligence information had been exaggerated, or "sexed up", to add greater weight to the argument to send troops to the Gulf.
On the question of "sexing up" information, Mr Campbell said that, whilst he regretted the way in which the dodgy dossier was compiled, he "did not accept the picture as it was portrayed" by former Cabinet minister Clare Short, who claimed that the prime minister had mislead the public.
He also stood by government claims that Saddam Hussein's WMDs could have been deployed to threaten British interests within 45 minutes.
The committee hearings are continuing.
(GMcG)
Alistair Campbell was speaking to the committee today, following Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's admission of "embarrassment" over the discredited dossier in yesterday's session.
The 'dodgy dossier' was published in February in the final stages of diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue of Iraq's WMDs. It was later found to have been substantially lifted from an academic study on the situation in Iraq during the first Iraq war – 12 years previously.
Mr Campbell also offered an apology to Ibrahim al-Marahi, the academic whose work was plagiarised. He said that an overhaul of procedures had been completed that would cut out such an incident from occurring again.
Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Donald Anderson explained Mr Campbell had been asked to appear before the committee to answer specific questions over whether intelligence information had been exaggerated, or "sexed up", to add greater weight to the argument to send troops to the Gulf.
On the question of "sexing up" information, Mr Campbell said that, whilst he regretted the way in which the dodgy dossier was compiled, he "did not accept the picture as it was portrayed" by former Cabinet minister Clare Short, who claimed that the prime minister had mislead the public.
He also stood by government claims that Saddam Hussein's WMDs could have been deployed to threaten British interests within 45 minutes.
The committee hearings are continuing.
(GMcG)
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