Government to release WMD dossier

Published on Sunday 6 May 2007 02:55

THE government has been told to release a key document concerning Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

The Information Commissioner has ruled the government must publish a draft of the 2002 dossier on WMDs which a campaigner claims may contain the first reference to Saddam Hussein having WMDs that could be used in 45 minutes.

It was written by the then Foreign Office press secretary, John Williams, who denies it contains the claim. The BBC said an anti-war campaigner requested the draft under Freedom of Information legislation.

Williams, who has since left the Foreign Office, previously denied his version included the 45-minute claim that appeared in the dossier. And a senior government official told the BBC the 45-minute claim was not mentioned in the draft.

The 45-minute claim became infamous after BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan reported it had been inserted into the dossier against the wishes of the intelligence services as No10 sought to "sex up" the case for war.

The source for the story, government WMD expert Dr David Kelly, committed suicide a month after the report was broadcast in May 2003 after the report prompted a row between the government and the BBC.