Beckett admits 45-min claim was wrong
By George Jones, Political Editor
Last Updated: 2:44am GMT 20/12/2006
Margaret Beckett reopened the controversy over the Government's dossier about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction when she admitted yesterday that ministers had realised before the invasion the claim that they could be deployed in 45 minutes was probably wrong.
The Foreign Secretary said the 45-minute claim was of "little relevance" and used only once.
"Perhaps people began to quickly think 'I'm not sure about that'," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
The claim – that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) could be used within 45 minutes of Saddam Hussein giving the order to deploy them – was contained in the Government's dossier in September 2002 making the case for the conflict.
It was repeated by Tony Blair in a Commons debate on Sept 24, and made the front page of several newspapers
It became infamous after a BBC report suggested in May 2003 that it had been inserted into the dossier against the wishes of the intelligence services, as Number 10 sought to "sex up" the case for war.
advertisement
That BBC report prompted a row between the government and the BBC, which ended with the death of the source for the story, government chemical and biological weapons expert Dr David Kelly.
His death was then investigated by the Hutton inquiry, which concluded that he had committed suicide and that the 45-minute claim was in the dossier with the authority of the then chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, John Scarlett, who is now head of MI6.
Mrs Beckett said that ministers did not use the 45-minute claim again, but no attempt was made by the Government to withdraw it before the US-led invasion.
"Nobody thought it was relevant. Nobody thought it was actually a big sweeping statement," she said. Asked whether it had seemed that Saddam posed a direct threat to the UK, she said: "No one put that argument.
"What we put was that argument that he was a threat to that region and that he had the ambition to be a threat to the wider world."
Writing in the foreword to the Downing Street dossier, Mr Blair said: "The document discloses that [Saddam's] military planning allows for some of the WMD to be ready within 45 minutes of an order to use them."
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said last night that official inquiries had been held into the run-up to the invasion and he had "nothing further to add".
William Hague, the Conservative foreign affairs spokesman, said if it was true that the 45-minute claim had been discounted before the invasion, it was "appalling that there seems to have been no effort or co-ordination between ministers to put the record straight".
Last week it was revealed that a former British diplomat, Carne Ross, had told the 2004 Butler review into Iraq intelligence that "at no time did the Government assess that Iraq's WMD posed a threat to the UK or its interests".
He also claimed that there was no evidence of "significant holdings" of chemical or biological weapons in the possession of Saddam prior to the invasion.
"There was, moreover, no intelligence or assessment during my time in the job that Iraq had any intention to launch an attack against its neighbours or the UK or the US," he added.
Mr Ross's evidence has only just been published because of initial fears that it would breach the Official Secrets Act.
Mrs Beckett said: "I don't find what Mr Ross says particularly surprising and I certainly don't find it shows deceit."
The 45-minute claim was officially withdrawn two years after the dossier's publication.
_________________
Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka,
from the HD Committee and its decision.
