London, Aug 27: Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said today that a government weapons adviser, whose death triggered a major political crisis, had supported the British government's policy on Iraq. Hoon, the most senior official to appear before an inquiry into the death of David Kelly, said the scientist told him that he backed the government's drive to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction.
Hoon said Kelly made the remarks during a discussion in the Ministry of Defence's cafeteria earlier this year. Hoon said he did not know Kelly's identity at the time and the conversation was a casual encounter. The Defence Minister said his ministry supported a government dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction prepared to back the case for war against Iraq. He said British intelligence on Iraq's weapons was reliable.
"It is my view that intelligence is cumulative, that it builds up into a picture," he said.
Prime Minister Tony Blair is scheduled to appear before the inquiry on Thursday. A small group protesting the war in Iraq demonstrated outside the royal courts of justice in central London as Hoon testified. Hoon gave evidence about his involvement in the defence ministry's naming of Kelly as the possible source for a British Broadcasting Corp. Report that questioned the government's case for war with Iraq and sparked a huge political storm.
The BBC report alleged that the government dossier about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction had been "sexed up" to assist Blair's argument for war, including a warning that such weapons could be fired within 45 minutes. Bureau Report