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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jul/06/chilcot-report-live-inquiry-war-iraq
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| Version 6 | Version 7 |
|---|---|
| Chilcot report live: Blair sent troops to Iraq before peaceful options had been exhausted | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 11.14am BST | |
| 11:14 | |
| Chilcot is now talking about Tony Blair’s meeting with George Bush in 2002. | |
| Blair urged Bush to take the issue of Iraq to the UN. | |
| Resolution 1441 was adopted by the UN security council. | |
| It provided for any breaches by Iraq to be reported to the security council. | |
| But in December 2002 Bush decided UN weapons inspectors would not achieve the desired result. | |
| In January Blair accepted the US timetable for war in mid-March, Chilcot says. | |
| He says Bush agreed to push for a second UN resolution. | |
| But by 12 March it was clear there was no support for this, he says. | |
| 11.12am BST | |
| 11:12 | |
| Chilcot says war was 'not a last resort' | |
| Chilcot starts by saying we should recall those killed and injured in Iraq, including the 250 people killed in the attack at the weekend. | |
| The report will be published on the committee’s website when he finishes speaking. | |
| He says the invasion was the first time Britain had taken part in the invasion and occupation of a sovereign state since the second world war. | |
| He says the inquiry has concluded that the UK chose to join the invasion before the peaceful options were exhausted. | |
| 11.07am BST | |
| 11:07 | |
| Sir John Chilcot's statement | |
| Sir John Chilcot is making a statement now about the findings of his report. | |
| He welcomes people to the QE2 centre, where the public hearings were also held. | |
| 11.01am BST | |
| 11:01 | |
| Here is a picture from inside the QE2 centre. | |
| #ChilcotReport pic.twitter.com/Lh3CMAotbv | |
| 10.46am BST | |
| 10:46 | |
| Ian Black | |
| Publication of the Chilcot report is getting heavy coverage from Arab and other Middle Eastern media. Al-Jazeera, broadcasting in Arabic and English from the Qtarai capital, Doha, is planning to devote much of the day to live reports from London. Its Saudi-owned rival, al-Arabiya, based in Dubai, is running a story headlined “Blair in spotlight as UK Iraq inquiry gives verdict” on its English-language website, but it is far less prominent on the Arabic site. | |
| Al-Jazeera English, which covers Iraq in depth, says its reporting will not focus narrowly on Tony Blair and any repercussions for British domestic politics but on the broader perspective on the 2003 invasion and its continuing regional and global impact, underlined by last weekend’s carnage in Baghdad. The Chilcot story is not one of the main headlines on AJ Arabic. | |
| Other big Middle Eastern stories today are the announcement of a three-day ceasefire by the Syrian government marking the start of the Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of Ramadan. | |
| Updated | |
| at 11.07am BST | |
| 10.44am BST | |
| 10:44 | |
| Here are some more pictures from the Stop the War Coalition protest outside the QE2 centre in central London. | |
| Updated | |
| at 11.07am BST | |
| 10.39am BST | 10.39am BST |
| 10:39 | 10:39 |
| The Green MP Caroline Lucas is one of those who has been allowed to start reading the report before it gets published at 11am. | The Green MP Caroline Lucas is one of those who has been allowed to start reading the report before it gets published at 11am. |
| Can't report what's i see in #Chilcot for a few hours. Will be reacting later. pic.twitter.com/1SFgGT96Ut | Can't report what's i see in #Chilcot for a few hours. Will be reacting later. pic.twitter.com/1SFgGT96Ut |
| 2.6 million words - speed reading starts now #Chilcot pic.twitter.com/ZwIn5280Wf | 2.6 million words - speed reading starts now #Chilcot pic.twitter.com/ZwIn5280Wf |
| 10.36am BST | 10.36am BST |
| 10:36 | 10:36 |
| Here is Tony Blair leaving his home this morning. | Here is Tony Blair leaving his home this morning. |
| At some point protesters were outside his home with this banner. | At some point protesters were outside his home with this banner. |
| And here is one of the protesters, Michael Culver. | And here is one of the protesters, Michael Culver. |
| Updated | |
| at 11.08am BST | |
| 10.29am BST | 10.29am BST |
| 10:29 | 10:29 |
| Esther Addley | Esther Addley |
| Outside the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre a woman with a loudhailer is reading a list of Labour MPs who voted for the war in the Iraq, to boos after each name. | Outside the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre a woman with a loudhailer is reading a list of Labour MPs who voted for the war in the Iraq, to boos after each name. |
| She says: “You will not be surprised to know that some of these Labour MPs are considering running in the leadership election ... We would like to start by saying that Jeremy Corbyn voted against the Iraq war.” | |
| Protestors with banners beginnings to arrive outside QEII centre ahead of #Chilcot report pic.twitter.com/k3kZloJJ3c | Protestors with banners beginnings to arrive outside QEII centre ahead of #Chilcot report pic.twitter.com/k3kZloJJ3c |
| Updated | |
| at 11.08am BST | |
| 10.24am BST | 10.24am BST |
| 10:24 | 10:24 |
| Lord Goldsmith, the attorney general at the time of the Iraq war, was doorstepped outside his home by reporters this morning. He drafted the legal opinion saying going to war would be legal. Initially he said he would read the report first and then make a statement. But, when asked if the war was legal, he replied: “Yes, of course it was.” | Lord Goldsmith, the attorney general at the time of the Iraq war, was doorstepped outside his home by reporters this morning. He drafted the legal opinion saying going to war would be legal. Initially he said he would read the report first and then make a statement. But, when asked if the war was legal, he replied: “Yes, of course it was.” |
| 10.09am BST | 10.09am BST |
| 10:09 | 10:09 |
| Esther Addley | Esther Addley |
| Protesters and activists have begun arriving outside the Queen Elizabeth II centre in Westminster, where the Chilcot report will be published at 11am. | Protesters and activists have begun arriving outside the Queen Elizabeth II centre in Westminster, where the Chilcot report will be published at 11am. |
| Many are carrying banners and flags, reading, “Blair: Now is the time to pay for your crimes”, and “2 million Iraqi people died in the Iraq war”. Others expressed support for the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, or called for Blair’s impeachment. | Many are carrying banners and flags, reading, “Blair: Now is the time to pay for your crimes”, and “2 million Iraqi people died in the Iraq war”. Others expressed support for the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, or called for Blair’s impeachment. |
| Amid shouts of, “Tony Blair, war criminal”, a large white banner was unveiled reading: “Blair must face war crimes tribunal.” | Amid shouts of, “Tony Blair, war criminal”, a large white banner was unveiled reading: “Blair must face war crimes tribunal.” |
| Among the protesters is a small number from the group Veterans for Peace. One of them, Ben Griffin, said: “Many of our members served in Iraq and witnessed what happened there, and we firmly believe that what happened in Iraq was a war of aggression ... during which the Geneva convention was broken many times.” | Among the protesters is a small number from the group Veterans for Peace. One of them, Ben Griffin, said: “Many of our members served in Iraq and witnessed what happened there, and we firmly believe that what happened in Iraq was a war of aggression ... during which the Geneva convention was broken many times.” |
| Griffin said he had served in Basra with the SAS but during a period in the UK on leave in 2005 had refused to return to Iraq. | Griffin said he had served in Basra with the SAS but during a period in the UK on leave in 2005 had refused to return to Iraq. |
| Some banners outside #Chilcot backing Corbyn. 'Give Peace a chance: Corbyn for PM', 'With Jeremy & John against war' pic.twitter.com/Yo6Qi0ms6A | Some banners outside #Chilcot backing Corbyn. 'Give Peace a chance: Corbyn for PM', 'With Jeremy & John against war' pic.twitter.com/Yo6Qi0ms6A |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 10.24am BST | at 10.24am BST |
| 9.58am BST | 9.58am BST |
| 09:58 | 09:58 |
| Peter Walker | Peter Walker |
| Help us read the Chilcot report | Help us read the Chilcot report |
| This is Peter Walker here, I’m helming the live blog with Andrew today. While we have some of the Guardian’s top people inside the lock-in to get through as much of the Chilcot report (or at least its summary) as possible in three hours, the full publication is about 2.6m words long, or almost four-and-a-half times as long as War and Peace. It will take days to read properly. And so we’re hoping you could help. | This is Peter Walker here, I’m helming the live blog with Andrew today. While we have some of the Guardian’s top people inside the lock-in to get through as much of the Chilcot report (or at least its summary) as possible in three hours, the full publication is about 2.6m words long, or almost four-and-a-half times as long as War and Peace. It will take days to read properly. And so we’re hoping you could help. |
| If you’re reading through the report and you spot an interesting fact or snippet you think we’ve missed, it would be great if you could let us know – we’ve set up a page for contributions. | If you’re reading through the report and you spot an interesting fact or snippet you think we’ve missed, it would be great if you could let us know – we’ve set up a page for contributions. |
| What sort of things might be interesting? You can probably guess, but there’s also a few pointers in our article from this morning about six questions Chilcot must answer. Any assistance we can get to understand the report and its implications as fast as possible will be hugely valuable. | What sort of things might be interesting? You can probably guess, but there’s also a few pointers in our article from this morning about six questions Chilcot must answer. Any assistance we can get to understand the report and its implications as fast as possible will be hugely valuable. |
| The full report and supporting documents will be available here from about 11.35am UK time today, though I’m guessing the website might be pretty slow to start with, given the heavy traffic. | The full report and supporting documents will be available here from about 11.35am UK time today, though I’m guessing the website might be pretty slow to start with, given the heavy traffic. |
| Related: We need your help reporting on Chilcot | Related: We need your help reporting on Chilcot |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 10.02am BST | at 10.02am BST |
| 9.56am BST | 9.56am BST |
| 09:56 | 09:56 |
| Britain lost 179 servicemen and women in Iraq. They are all named on the Operation Telic wikipedia page. | Britain lost 179 servicemen and women in Iraq. They are all named on the Operation Telic wikipedia page. |
| Many, many more Iraqis died, but the exact number is unknown, not least because the Americans chose not to publish a count. On the BBC this morning I’ve heard different reporters describe the Iraqi death toll as either in the “tens of thousands” or the “hundreds of thousands”. | Many, many more Iraqis died, but the exact number is unknown, not least because the Americans chose not to publish a count. On the BBC this morning I’ve heard different reporters describe the Iraqi death toll as either in the “tens of thousands” or the “hundreds of thousands”. |
| One organisation that compiles figures on this is Iraq Body Count. According to its latest figures, the number of civilians killed by violence since the invasion is between 160,400 and 179,312. But these are likely to be minimum figures because Iraq Body Count only records fatalities verified by two independent sources. | One organisation that compiles figures on this is Iraq Body Count. According to its latest figures, the number of civilians killed by violence since the invasion is between 160,400 and 179,312. But these are likely to be minimum figures because Iraq Body Count only records fatalities verified by two independent sources. |
| Other studies have produced much higher figures. In 2006, the Lancet medical journal published research suggesting that 655,000 Iraqis had died as a result of the conflict. This figure was obtained by sample research – doctors doing house-to-house surveys in Iraq, asking people about the deaths of relatives – with a nationwide figure then being produced by extrapolation. In 2015, the US-based Physicians for Social Responsibility published a report using similar methodology that claimed that 1m Iraqis had been killed since the invasion, or 5% of the population. | Other studies have produced much higher figures. In 2006, the Lancet medical journal published research suggesting that 655,000 Iraqis had died as a result of the conflict. This figure was obtained by sample research – doctors doing house-to-house surveys in Iraq, asking people about the deaths of relatives – with a nationwide figure then being produced by extrapolation. In 2015, the US-based Physicians for Social Responsibility published a report using similar methodology that claimed that 1m Iraqis had been killed since the invasion, or 5% of the population. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 10.01am BST | at 10.01am BST |
| 9.23am BST | 9.23am BST |
| 09:23 | 09:23 |
| The Stop the War Coalition is organising a protest outside the QE2 centre to coincide with the publication of the Chilcot report. | The Stop the War Coalition is organising a protest outside the QE2 centre to coincide with the publication of the Chilcot report. |
| 10am Today | Outside QE2 Centre | Protest: #Chilcot - Time for Truth & Justice - https://t.co/1AbyNUijlI pic.twitter.com/uP9Y2vBOqx | 10am Today | Outside QE2 Centre | Protest: #Chilcot - Time for Truth & Justice - https://t.co/1AbyNUijlI pic.twitter.com/uP9Y2vBOqx |
| Lindsey German, the coalition’s convenor, says that regardless of what Chilcot says, she believes Tony Blair lied. | Lindsey German, the coalition’s convenor, says that regardless of what Chilcot says, she believes Tony Blair lied. |
| Whatever #Chilcot will say Blair lied, thousands died. Join protest from 10 onwards Westminster @STWuk | Whatever #Chilcot will say Blair lied, thousands died. Join protest from 10 onwards Westminster @STWuk |
| She has also retweeted a link to this article by the journalist Peter Oborne, based on his new book Not the Chilcot Report, which makes the case that Blair can be accused of lying to justify the war and of initiating a war of aggression (ie, a war crime.) | She has also retweeted a link to this article by the journalist Peter Oborne, based on his new book Not the Chilcot Report, which makes the case that Blair can be accused of lying to justify the war and of initiating a war of aggression (ie, a war crime.) |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 9.30am BST | at 9.30am BST |
| 9.05am BST | 9.05am BST |
| 09:05 | 09:05 |
| Jack Straw, who was UK foreign secretary at the time of the Iraq war, and who by his own account could have stopped Britain’s participation in the war if he had chosen to oppose it, was asked about the report as he left his home this morning. Asked if he stood by his decision to support the war, he replied: | Jack Straw, who was UK foreign secretary at the time of the Iraq war, and who by his own account could have stopped Britain’s participation in the war if he had chosen to oppose it, was asked about the report as he left his home this morning. Asked if he stood by his decision to support the war, he replied: |
| I’m just on the way to read the report. I’ve not yet seen it. So you’ll have to forgive me. I shall be making lots of comments once I’ve read the report, but obviously not in advance. | I’m just on the way to read the report. I’ve not yet seen it. So you’ll have to forgive me. I shall be making lots of comments once I’ve read the report, but obviously not in advance. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 9.15am BST | at 9.15am BST |
| 8.54am BST | 8.54am BST |
| 08:54 | 08:54 |
| The parents of Senior Aircraftsman Peter McFerran, 24, from North Wales, who was killed in southern Iraq in 2007, arrived at the QE2 centre in London shortly before the report was released to families at 8am, the Press Association reports. The couple had travelled to London from Flintshire and wore “Justice for Peter” T-shirts. | The parents of Senior Aircraftsman Peter McFerran, 24, from North Wales, who was killed in southern Iraq in 2007, arrived at the QE2 centre in London shortly before the report was released to families at 8am, the Press Association reports. The couple had travelled to London from Flintshire and wore “Justice for Peter” T-shirts. |
| McFerran’s mother Ann, 64, said she was “apprehensive” and didn’t know what to expect. She said it was her husband Bob’s 73rd birthday and added: “The right outcome would be a good birthday present.” Asked what that outcome would be, she replied: “Justice for Peter.” | McFerran’s mother Ann, 64, said she was “apprehensive” and didn’t know what to expect. She said it was her husband Bob’s 73rd birthday and added: “The right outcome would be a good birthday present.” Asked what that outcome would be, she replied: “Justice for Peter.” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 9.16am BST | at 9.16am BST |