The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
“In
relation to all those issues, the Intelligence and Security
Committee is at full
liberty to
go through all the Joint Intelligence Committee assessments and
produce a
report on
them. Because of the importance of the issue, it is only right that
a report is
published
so that people can make a judgement on it. However the claims that
have
been made
are simply false …”
265.
Mr Duncan
Smith stated that Mr Blair would allow the ISC to see “only
the
intelligence
reports that he wanted it to see” and that, as the Committee was
being
“asked to
investigate the Prime Minister’s role and that of his closest
advisers … surely
the only
way to clear up the problem is to have an independent
inquiry”.
266.
Mr Blair
replied that Mr Duncan Smith:
“… was not
making an allegation about the intelligence being wrong. On
the
contrary,
he was rebutting the allegation that the intelligence was wrong …
it
is not true
that I will withhold from it [the ISC] the Joint Intelligence
Committee
assessments.
In addition, the Committee can, in accordance with its normal
practice,
interview
those people in the security services who drew up the JIC reports.
That is
surely a
fair way to proceed. I will then publish the report.”
267.
In response to
further questioning from Mr Duncan Smith, Mr Blair
stated:
“I have
already said that we will produce all the evidence for the
Intelligence and
Security
Committee. I really think that is the sensible and right way to
proceed. It can
then come
to a considered judgement and I will publish the
report.”
268.
Mr Blair
also rebutted the allegation that the source for “the 45 minute
claim
was an
Iraqi defector of dubious reliability”, stating that “he was an
established and
reliable
source”.
269.
Addressing a
question from Mr Charles Kennedy, Leader of the Liberal
Democrats,
about why
people should allow more time and show patience in the search for
WMD,
Mr Blair
replied:
“… The
reason I ask people to be patient is that the group has just gone
into Iraq: it
should be
allowed to get on with its job, investigate the sites, interview
the witnesses
and then
report back to us.”
270.
Mr Kennedy
also asked for “a fully independent judicial review of what has
just
gone
on”.
271.
Mr Elfyn
Llwyd (Plaid Cymru) also called for “a full public
inquiry”.
476