The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
308.
Mr Scarlett
stated that the new Group would operate at the “strategic,
co-ordination
level”. It
would need to avoid overlap with other groups, in particular the
Executive
Group (also
known as the Evidence and Elimination Task Force and, later, the
Iraq WMD
Task
Force), led by Mr Howard, which oversaw UK interests in the
ISG.
309.
The draft
Terms of Reference, circulated separately by Mr Scarlett,
stated:
“The
Sub-Committee on Iraq/WMD will be responsible to the Joint
Intelligence
Committee
for:
•
The
strategic co-ordination of all intelligence implications related to
Iraq’s
WMD
programmes, including:
{{the
[intelligence] community’s response to those issues;
{{the
[intelligence] community’s advice to Government;
{{Parliamentary
issues;
{{media
issues;
{{relations with
other groups and allies.”152
310.
At its first
meeting on 5 June, the Sub-Committee agreed the following
Terms of
Reference:
“The
Sub-Committee on Iraq/WMD will be responsible to the Joint
Intelligence
Committee
for:
•
The
strategic co-ordination, and where necessary management, of
all
information
and intelligence implications related to Iraq’s WMD
programmes,
including:
{{the
[intelligence] community’s response to these issues;
{{the
[intelligence] community’s advice to Government;
{{Parliamentary
issues, including the co-ordination of the
Government’s
response to
the Intelligence and Security Committee inquiry and
the
intelligence
aspects of the Foreign Affairs Committee inquiry;
{{media
issues;
{{relations with
other groups and allies.
“The
Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee will chair the Group
…”153
311.
The meeting
agreed that membership of the Committee should be
expanded
to include
the Home Office, but the No.10 Press Office should not have
formal
representation.
It also noted the importance of ensuring consistency of message
and
152
Minute
Scarlett to Ehrman, 3 June 2003, ‘JIC Sub-Committee on
Iraq/WMD’ attaching Agenda, 5 June
2003, JIC
Sub-Committee on Iraq/WMD and Paper [unattributed] ‘JIC
Sub-Committee on Iraq/WMD Draft
Terms of
Reference’.
153
Minutes,
5 June 2003, JIC Sub-Committee on Iraq/WMD
meeting.
484