Blix says UK and US exaggerated Iraq threat

Sunday, 8 February 2004 12:00 AM

Former UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix has said Britain and the US dramatised intelligence information to boost the argument for the Iraq war.

He told the BBC's Breakfast with Frost programme that those who drafted the UK's Iraqi arms dossier acted like salesmen trying to "exaggerate the importance" of their wares. But he did not think Tony Blair acted in "bad faith".

Mr Blix said British and American intelligence officials had placed too much weight on what Iraqi defectors told them. He also blamed the "spin" which both governments put on the intelligence for the mistake. "It was to do with information management. The intention was to dramatise it," he said.

Inquiries into the accuracy of intelligence reports have been launched by both the US and UK governments.

Mr Blix also challenged the UK and US to produce the evidence of weapons programmes they claim to have uncovered. "Is there clear evidence that there were programmes? Maybe so, I don't deny the possibility."

Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy told the programme the prime minister must make a formal statement setting out what he and his ministers knew about Iraq's weapons.

Tony Blair said last week he did not know the so-called "45-minute claim" only referred to Iraq's battlefield weapons.

Mr Kennedy said the "mess of contradiction" from the government must be clarified. He said: "The important thing now is that we do resolve the political judgement at the time." But he said Tory calls for Tony Blair to resign over the issue were a "distraction".

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