- News>
- World
Blix warns Iraq weapons inspectors against `spinning` report
London, Oct 04: The US-led inspection team scouring Iraq for weapons of mass destruction must guard against `spin` when presenting their findings to their political masters, former chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix said in a newspaper article here today.
London, Oct 04: The US-led inspection team scouring Iraq for weapons of mass destruction must guard against "spin" when presenting their findings to their political masters, former chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix said in a newspaper article here today.
"We don't want another epidemic of spin," Blix told
The Independent newspaper the day after David Kay, the head
of a US and British team of 1,200 experts in Iraq, published
his interim report at the US Congress in Washington.
Blix said that nothing in Kay's report on the findings of the Iraq survey group constituted the "serious and current threat" used by the British government to justify going to war in the first place.
Blix said British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his government "should have exercised more critical judgement" over Iraq, according to The Independent.
"There was not a serious or imminent threat. They could have carried on with the policy of containment," Blix told the newspaper.
Blix said that the credibility of the Iraq survey group would be damaged if there was any political input, The Independent said.
Blix particularly warned of the danger of taking at face value statements from Iraqi scientists and officials, who may be "eager to tell them (inspectors) what they want to hear".
Blix said that until they were checked against documents, they should be "taken with a pinch of salt". Bureau Report
Blix said that nothing in Kay's report on the findings of the Iraq survey group constituted the "serious and current threat" used by the British government to justify going to war in the first place.
Blix said British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his government "should have exercised more critical judgement" over Iraq, according to The Independent.
"There was not a serious or imminent threat. They could have carried on with the policy of containment," Blix told the newspaper.
Blix said that the credibility of the Iraq survey group would be damaged if there was any political input, The Independent said.
Blix particularly warned of the danger of taking at face value statements from Iraqi scientists and officials, who may be "eager to tell them (inspectors) what they want to hear".
Blix said that until they were checked against documents, they should be "taken with a pinch of salt". Bureau Report