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US lawmakers reach compromise on Iraqi weapons probe
Washington, June 21: Top US senators have agreed to broaden the scope of their probe into the fate of alleged Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction and whether intelligence information about them had been manipulated to justify the war against the government of Saddam Hussein.
Washington, June 21: Top US senators have agreed to broaden the scope of their probe into the fate of alleged Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction and whether intelligence information about them had been manipulated to justify the war against the government of Saddam Hussein.
But the republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence
Committee, Pat Roberts, still succeeded yesterday in blocking
a full-fledged congressional investigation into the brewing
controversy that could prove to be damaging to republicans in
the 2004 election campaign.
In fact, the chairman and the ranking committee democrat, senator Jay Rockefeller, appeared to disagree even on how to call their joint work, with Roberts pointedly referring to it as a "review" and Rockefeller using the word "inquiry."
But a brief joint statement issued by the lawmakers made clear the probe would go far beyond a mere review of documents from the CIA and other US intelligence agencies that was initially proposed by Roberts.
Under the accord, the committee would examine among other things "the quantity and quality" of US intelligence on Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction programmes - and "the objectivity, reasonableness, independence, and accuracy of the judgments reached by the intelligence community."
The lawmakers will also try to find out whether those conclusions "were properly disseminated to policy makers in the executive branch and Congress" and "whether any influence was brought to bear on anyone to shape their analysis to support policy objectives," the statement said.
Bureau Report
In fact, the chairman and the ranking committee democrat, senator Jay Rockefeller, appeared to disagree even on how to call their joint work, with Roberts pointedly referring to it as a "review" and Rockefeller using the word "inquiry."
But a brief joint statement issued by the lawmakers made clear the probe would go far beyond a mere review of documents from the CIA and other US intelligence agencies that was initially proposed by Roberts.
Under the accord, the committee would examine among other things "the quantity and quality" of US intelligence on Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction programmes - and "the objectivity, reasonableness, independence, and accuracy of the judgments reached by the intelligence community."
The lawmakers will also try to find out whether those conclusions "were properly disseminated to policy makers in the executive branch and Congress" and "whether any influence was brought to bear on anyone to shape their analysis to support policy objectives," the statement said.
Bureau Report