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Early WMD dossier draft released Early WMD dossier draft released
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Foreign Secretary David Miliband has published an early draft of the UK's infamous dossier on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.Foreign Secretary David Miliband has published an early draft of the UK's infamous dossier on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.
The document, by Foreign Office press chief John Williams, was an unpublished draft of the dossier which was unveiled by Tony Blair on 24 September 2002. The document, by Foreign Office press chief John Williams, was an unpublished draft of the September 2002 dossier.
The Foreign Office failed in its appeal against the Information Commissioner's order that it should release the draft. The Conservatives and Lib Dems say its similarities to the final version show "spin doctors" had played a crucial role in drawing up the dossier.
It had said publishing it could inhibit the "effective conduct of government". The government says it was never part of the formal drafting process.
Weapons expert Dr David Kelly was found dead shortly after being named as the source of a BBC report suggesting the dossier was "sexed up" shortly before publication. The Foreign Office lost its appeal against a ruling the document be published under the Freedom of Information Act.
Balance of disclosure It had argued that publishing it could inhibit the "effective conduct of government".
Dr Kelly cited the example of the claim that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction which could be used within 45 minutes of him giving an order. 'Sexed up' claim
We do not accept that we should, in effect, treat the Hutton Report as the final word on the subject Information Tribunal class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/opensecrets/">BBC Open Secrets blog Officials say Mr Williams's draft dossier was quickly set aside after it was decided to give responsibility for the document to the then chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), John Scarlett.
The report led to a high profile dispute between the BBC and Downing Street which culminated in Dr Kelly's death. Mr Miliband said it was not used as the basis for the dossier which the government eventually published - which was at the heart of a row between the government and BBC over claims it was "sexed up".
The task of investigating the "circumstances surrounding the death" of Dr Kelly was then handed to Lord Hutton who, following a two month inquiry, concluded the scientist had taken his own life. Spin doctors, not intelligence analysts, were leading from the first in deciding what the British people were told about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction William HagueConservatives class="" href="/1/hi/uk_politics/7251409.stm">Analysis: How significant is the draft?
Lord Hutton criticised the BBC and said the 45 minute claim had not been inserted into the dossier by Downing Street against the wishes of intelligence chiefs, stressing that the head of the Joint Intelligence Committee John Scarlett had had "ownership" of the dossier. Mr Williams's draft does not include the famous "45 minute claim" - that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction which could be used within 45 minutes of him giving an order.
'Frank advice' But Edward Davey for the Lib Dems said the "core analysis" was the same as the final published version, adding: "A press official should never have been drafting a document that ended up being used as the justification for going to war."
The Freedom of Information request for Mr Williams' draft to be made public was made by researcher Christopher Ames. And shadow foreign secretary William Hague added: "This is yet further evidence that spin doctors, not intelligence analysts, were leading from the first in deciding what the British people were told about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction."
A passing reference was made to the Williams draft produced just over two weeks before the final dossier was published, during the Hutton inquiry, but it was never published. Inquiry call
The dossier released by the Foreign Office, which appears to be a re-draft of a document dated 24 July 2002, does not include the 45 minute claim. He said it highlighted the need for a full Privy Council inquiry into the origins and conduct of the Iraq war.
But Mr Miliband said Mr Williams's paper "was not commissioned as part of the formal drafting process and was not used as the basis for the dossier which the government subsequently published".
The paper, dated 24 July 2002, was drawn up after then prime minister Tony Blair suggested the publication of a dossier setting out the threat posed by Iraq.
PUBLISHED REVISIONS (2002) 11 Sep: Unknown e-mailer makes last call for intelligence material [28.4KB]September dossier conclusion (left out of final draft) [43KB]19 Sep: Experts' suggested dossier revisions [101KB]20 Sep: John Scarlett's note on the final dossier version [27KB]24 September: Final version [2.1MB] Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Download the reader here Hutton inquiry documents in fullPUBLISHED REVISIONS (2002) 11 Sep: Unknown e-mailer makes last call for intelligence material [28.4KB]September dossier conclusion (left out of final draft) [43KB]19 Sep: Experts' suggested dossier revisions [101KB]20 Sep: John Scarlett's note on the final dossier version [27KB]24 September: Final version [2.1MB] Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Download the reader here Hutton inquiry documents in full
The Foreign Office (FCO) refused to hand over the document, saying that its publication would "inhibit the free and frank provision of advice and the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation". The official September 2002 dossier was the subject of a BBC report which suggested it had been "sexed up" shortly before publication.
Mr Ames complained to the Information Commissioner, who concluded that the balance "was in favour of disclosure". Weapons expert Dr David Kelly was found dead shortly after being named as the source of the BBC report.
He said there was "a strong public interest in disclosure in order better to inform the public as the process followed in preparing the dossier". Dr Kelly cited the example of the claim that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction which could be used within 45 minutes of him giving an order.
The FCO's appeal against that decision was rejected by the Information Tribunal, which said: "We do not accept that we should, in effect, treat the Hutton Report as the final word on the subject... Following an inquiry into the "circumstances surrounding the death" of Dr Kelly, Lord Hutton concluded he had taken his own life and criticised the BBC.
"Information has been placed before us, which was not before Lord Hutton, which may lead to questions as to whether the Williams' draft in fact played a greater part in influencing the drafting of the dossier than has previously been supposed." He said the 45 minute claim had not been inserted into the dossier by Downing Street against the wishes of intelligence chiefs, stressing that JIC head John Scarlett had had "ownership" of the dossier.
The Freedom of Information request for Mr Williams' draft, which was mentioned in passing during the Hutton inquiry, was made by researcher Christopher Ames.
The Foreign Office (FCO) had refused to hand over the document, saying that its publication would "inhibit the free and frank provision of advice and the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation".
But its appeal against that decision was rejected by the Information Tribunal, which said: "Information has been placed before us, which was not before Lord Hutton, which may lead to questions as to whether the Williams' draft in fact played a greater part in influencing the drafting of the dossier than has previously been supposed."
The tribunal also revealed that the draft was "annotated in two different persons' handwriting, suggesting that at least one person other than the author had reviewed and commented on it".The tribunal also revealed that the draft was "annotated in two different persons' handwriting, suggesting that at least one person other than the author had reviewed and commented on it".
However, the tribunal has ordered that one of the handwritten notes should be taken off the draft when it is released.However, the tribunal has ordered that one of the handwritten notes should be taken off the draft when it is released.
In a written statement to MPs, Mr Miliband said: "I have today released what has been described as John Williams' draft of the September 2002 Iraq Weapons of Mass Destruction dossier.
"The document produced by John Williams, then head of the FCO's press office, was not commissioned as part of the formal drafting process and was not used as the basis for the dossier the government subsequently published, which was produced by the JIC."