ID :
18107
Fri, 09/05/2008 - 12:03
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/18107
The shortlink copeid
Govt ordered to release secret memos of 'sexed-up' war dossier
London, Sept 4 (PTI) The British government has been directed to release secret emails and memos showing how the Iraq war dossier was "sexed-up", a development that could spark a fresh row over government withholding key information in order to present "an exaggerated case for military action".
Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner, has ordered British Cabinet office to release secret emails and memos between 11 and 16 September 2002, showing how the Iraq war dossier was "sexed-up," The Independent newspaper said Thursday.
According to the British daily, the commissioner directed civil servants to release undisclosed material which could provide "evidence that the dossier was deliberately
manipulated in order to present an exaggerated case for
military action". In his ruling, the commissioner said there
is no national security justification for keeping the key
information secret.
The Labour government's case for the war was set out
in the dossier about former Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein's
weapons capabilities, published on 24 September 2002.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair had used the dossier
to bolster his case for invasion of Iraq. Blair famously
claimed in the document that the Iraqi dictator could deploy
weapons of mass destruction "within 45 minutes of an order to
use them".
The prospect of a return to the debate over the
dossier, which led to an outcry in the country, will horrify
Labour ministers who hoped Blair's departure from office last
year had drawn a line under the affair.
Later, a string of changes to the Iraq war dossier by
Alastair Campbell, Blair's Director of Communications and
Strategy, and Jonathan Powell, chief of staff at Downing
Street, were made public by the Lord Hutton inquiry.
Campbell suggested 11 changes to the draft, which were
all adopted in the final week before publication, included
changing how biological weapons "could be used" to "are
capable of being used", and changing "may have" to "have",
regarding the authority of Saddam's sons' to launch chemical
or biological weapons. PTI
Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner, has ordered British Cabinet office to release secret emails and memos between 11 and 16 September 2002, showing how the Iraq war dossier was "sexed-up," The Independent newspaper said Thursday.
According to the British daily, the commissioner directed civil servants to release undisclosed material which could provide "evidence that the dossier was deliberately
manipulated in order to present an exaggerated case for
military action". In his ruling, the commissioner said there
is no national security justification for keeping the key
information secret.
The Labour government's case for the war was set out
in the dossier about former Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein's
weapons capabilities, published on 24 September 2002.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair had used the dossier
to bolster his case for invasion of Iraq. Blair famously
claimed in the document that the Iraqi dictator could deploy
weapons of mass destruction "within 45 minutes of an order to
use them".
The prospect of a return to the debate over the
dossier, which led to an outcry in the country, will horrify
Labour ministers who hoped Blair's departure from office last
year had drawn a line under the affair.
Later, a string of changes to the Iraq war dossier by
Alastair Campbell, Blair's Director of Communications and
Strategy, and Jonathan Powell, chief of staff at Downing
Street, were made public by the Lord Hutton inquiry.
Campbell suggested 11 changes to the draft, which were
all adopted in the final week before publication, included
changing how biological weapons "could be used" to "are
capable of being used", and changing "may have" to "have",
regarding the authority of Saddam's sons' to launch chemical
or biological weapons. PTI
