| Date: | Monday July 07, @03:15AM |
|---|---|
| Author: | ewing2001 |
| Topic: | News |
| from the Guardian/AP dept. | |
Monday July 7, 2003 1:49 PM
By MICHAEL McDONOUGH -Associated Press Writer
LONDON (AP) - A parliamentary committee on Monday sharply criticized the government's handling of intelligence on Iraqi weapons but narrowly cleared Prime Minister Tony Blair's communications chief of ``improper influence'' in drafting a controversial intelligence dossier.
The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said the dossier, published in September, gave undue prominence to a claim that Iraq could deploy chemical or biological weapons within 45 minutes of Saddam Hussein's giving the order.d.
It said the language used in the dossier was ``more assertive than that traditionally used in intelligence documents,'' and that the ``jury is still out'' on the accuracy of the information contained in the dossier.
Blair's office rejected the criticism.
``We stand by the September dossier,'' Blair's official spokesman said.
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printed from Iraqgate UK: Blair still under pressure on 2004-06-23 04:29:01