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Blair denies authorising tracking down suspected news source
Shanghai, July 22: British Prime Minister Tony Blair today said that he did not authorise the identification of a weapons inspector as the news source for a British Broadcasting Corp. report questioning the honesty of a government dossier on Iraqi weapons.
Shanghai, July 22: British Prime Minister Tony Blair today said that he did not authorise the identification of a weapons inspector as the news source for a British Broadcasting Corp. report questioning the honesty of a government dossier on Iraqi weapons.
The inspector, David Kelly, killed himself last week following his interview by a parliamentary committee and after being identified by the British ministry of defense as
a possible source. The BBC subsequently confirmed that Kelly had been its source for the report.
"I did not authorize the leaking of the name of David Kelly," Blair told reporters on a flight from Shanghaito Hong Kong.
The ministry of defense declined to comment on who authorised Kelly's identification, saying it preferred to wait for the judicial inquiry into his suicide. "We are not speculating about that at all," the ministry said, adding that it would "cooperate fully" with the inquiry.
The BBC had infuriated the government with a report in May which quoted an unidentified source as questioning the claim in the September dossier that Iraq was poised to deploy some chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes.
The BBC reporter, Andrew Gilligan, subsequently said his source had accused Blair's communications director, Alastair Campbell, of insisting on including the claim despite the skepticism of some intelligence officials.
"I did not authorize the leaking of the name of David Kelly," Blair told reporters on a flight from Shanghaito Hong Kong.
The ministry of defense declined to comment on who authorised Kelly's identification, saying it preferred to wait for the judicial inquiry into his suicide. "We are not speculating about that at all," the ministry said, adding that it would "cooperate fully" with the inquiry.
The BBC had infuriated the government with a report in May which quoted an unidentified source as questioning the claim in the September dossier that Iraq was poised to deploy some chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes.
The BBC reporter, Andrew Gilligan, subsequently said his source had accused Blair's communications director, Alastair Campbell, of insisting on including the claim despite the skepticism of some intelligence officials.
Bureau Report