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Hoon appears before inquiry into Kelly`s death
London, Sept 22: British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon today defended his department`s treatment of a weapons expert caught up in a political storm over the government`s case for war in Iraq.
London, Sept 22: British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon today defended his department's treatment of a weapons expert caught up in a political storm over the government's case for war in Iraq.
Hoon told an inquiry that he approved a defence ministry statement saying an employee had acknowledged meeting with a British Broadcasting Corp. Journalist who reported claims that the government exaggerated the threat from Iraqi weapons.
The statement sparked a media frenzy which led to the ministry identifying weapons expert David Kelly as the possible source for the BBC report. Kelly apparently committed suicide after his identification.
Hoon told the inquiry today that his department would have risked accusations of a cover-up if it had failed to disclose that an official had acknowledged speaking to the BBC reporter.
"We had to deal with it. We did not have the option of doing nothing. We had to resolve this matter," Hoon said.
Hoon also said that although he did not see a briefing note prepared for defense officials handling media queries, he agreed to the strategy of confirming Kelly's name to journalists who guessed it correctly.
He said that the defense ministry press office was left with the choice of whether to lie, obfuscate or tell the truth. He added that a "no comment" response would amount to confirming the name and the approach agreed was the "most straightforward."
Bureau Report
The statement sparked a media frenzy which led to the ministry identifying weapons expert David Kelly as the possible source for the BBC report. Kelly apparently committed suicide after his identification.
Hoon told the inquiry today that his department would have risked accusations of a cover-up if it had failed to disclose that an official had acknowledged speaking to the BBC reporter.
"We had to deal with it. We did not have the option of doing nothing. We had to resolve this matter," Hoon said.
Hoon also said that although he did not see a briefing note prepared for defense officials handling media queries, he agreed to the strategy of confirming Kelly's name to journalists who guessed it correctly.
He said that the defense ministry press office was left with the choice of whether to lie, obfuscate or tell the truth. He added that a "no comment" response would amount to confirming the name and the approach agreed was the "most straightforward."
Bureau Report