BBC reporter to appear before Hutton
The BBC reporter who broke the story on the Government’s alleged tampering with a key intelligence report on Iraq’s weapons capability, today appears before Lord Hutton inquiry into the death of his “source”, Dr David Kelly.
The Corp stands shoulder-to-shoulder with defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan, who contended that Downing Street, under the watchful eye of the PM’s chief aide, Alastair Campbell, deliberately “sexed up” the dossier on Iraq’s capacity to launch lethal weapons (WMDs).
Mr Gilligan claimed his source told him someone in Downing Street had inserted the crucial “within 45-minutes” clause, a move clearly to boost the case for war against Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship.
Former UN weapons inspector Dr Kelly apparently committed suicide after being named by the Ministry of Defence as the “mole” in Mr. Gilligan’s report.
On the first day of the judicial inquiry yesterday, the Ministry of Defence’s personnel director Richard Hatfield said Mr Kelly appeared to have breached Government confidence in his briefings with journalists.
The scientist appeared to have ‘strayed’ outside the scope of his discretion.
He said of Dr Kelly: “He appears to have had, on his own account, two meetings with Mr Gilligan, which took place off MoD premises, with nobody having any knowledge of them and even on Dr Kelly’s account of what took place at that interview, he clearly had strayed beyond providing technical information.
“My interpretation, I’m afraid, of thinking back over his history is that he could not have done that without realising he had gone outside the scope of his discretion.
“There is no security breach. My concern relates to the basic breach of confidence as to how he is supposed to behave towards his employer and the Government, since he works for the Government.”
And, importantly, Martin Howard, deputy chief of intelligence at the MoD, denied claims that Mr Campbell doctored the so-called “dodgy dossier.”
But he said two other MoD officials had similar reservations to those of Dr Kelly’s regarding the No 10’s disclosure of information on Iraq’s lethal weaponry.
Friend of Dr Kelly, Terence Taylor, President of the International Institute of Strategic Studies in Washington, commended the work of the weapons expert: “His work in Iraq was remarkably successful. He carried the inspection system through during a very difficult period.”
BBC journalist, Susan Watts, who met with Mr Kelly, will present herself at London’s Royal Courts of Justice on Tuesday.
