4.2 |
Iraq WMD assessments, July to September 2002
90.
It is not
clear who attended the meeting as the record was not sent to
participants.
91.
Mr McKane
described the meeting to the Inquiry as a “throat clearing
exercise”.37
92.
Reporting on a
meeting on 22 August to update Sir David Manning on
developments
concerning
Iraq, Mr Tom Dodd, a junior official in OD Sec, wrote that the
IISS would be
publishing
“an academic dossier” on Iraqi WMD on 9 September:
“Officials
have considered whether we should publish our own dossier in
advance or
shortly
afterwards. However they feel that the HMG dossier should only be
published
in the
context of Ministerial decisions on a policy change towards Iraq
and as part of
a
fully-fledged media campaign.”38
93.
Mr Scarlett
had been working on the WMD paper in the dossier during
August.
94.
On 8 and 9
August, there was an email exchange between the Assessments
Staff
and the MOD
about whether there was evidence available on Iraq’s ballistic
missile work
outside the
activities permitted by the UN:
•
The MOD was
asked if it could provide two to three “examples of ballistic
missile
related
sites” which were relevant to the claim that Iraq was breaking the
limit
of 150km
range permitted by the UN.39
Mr Scarlett
was “keen” to include them
in the
dossier. The MOD was also asked for “an explanation of the shed
going
up at
al-Rafah”, which Mr Scarlett also wanted to
mention.
•
The MOD
replied that it was not sure what it could provide but it would
“see what
•
In a
subsequent email, the MOD stated that al-Rafah was a known engine
test
site, which
had been bombed in 1991 and December 1998.41
It was “no
surprise”
that Iraq
was putting “a lid on the new stand to prevent imagery observation
of
test
objects – the implication being that the stand is nearing
completion and/or
there will
be something to test on it”.
•
The MOD
also commented: “You will recall that … we said that … points
about
buildings
being reconstructed … rely on inference and comparisons with
what
they were
trying to do before the Gulf War with BADR-2000. A big
assembly
building
does not automatically make large missiles … If the Chairman
wants
37
Public
hearing, 19 January 2011, page 79.
38
Minute Dodd
to Manning, 23 August 2002, ‘Iraq’.
39
Email
[1525] [Assessments Staff junior official] to [MOD junior
official], 8 August 2002, ‘Dossier –
missile
sites’.
40
Email
[1646] [MOD junior official] to [Assessments Staff junior
official], 8 August 2002, ‘Re: Dossier –
missile
sites’.
41
Email
[1815] [MOD junior official] to [Assessments Staff junior
official], 8 August 2002, ‘Re: Dossier –
missile
sites’.
129