BBC, Downing Street Dispute over Weapon Dossier

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, June 28, 2003

BBC, Downing Street Dispute over Weapon Dossier

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A war of words between British government and the country's largest broadcaster, the BBC, has erupted over claims that Prime Minister Tony Blair's office exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein to justify launching war against Iraq.

In a letter to Downing Street press chief Alastair Campbell on Friday, the head of BBC News Richard Sambrook firmly rejected claims that the BBC lied about the government's dossier saying that Iraq could launch weapons of mass destruction in 45 minutes.

Sambrook refused to give the apology demanded by Campbell over BBC defense correspondent Andrew Gilligan's report that a senior intelligence official told him the dossier was "sexed up", accusing the Downing Street official of waging a "personal vendetta" against the journalist behind the Iraq weapons row.

Sambrook's letter was in quick response from Campbell, who accused the BBC of "weaselly words" and "sophistry". "It confirms our central charge they (the BBC) do not have a shred of evidence to justify their lie, broadcast many times on many outlets, that we deliberately exaggerated and abused British intelligence and so mislead Parliament and the public," Campbell said.

The government, which has always branded as a "lie" the claim in a BBC report, has come under growing pressure as coalition forces in Iraq have so far failed to find evidence of weapons of mass destruction that were its reason for going to war.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was defensive again on Friday when he answered questions to the Commons foreign affairs select committee probing the veracity of intelligence dossiers published by the government.

"Nobody in the intelligence community disagreed that Saddam Hussein had the capability for biological and chemical weapons programs," Straw said. "I hope we find further corroborative evidence about Saddam's chemical and biological capabilities and his nuclear plans, but whether or not we do, the decision to take military action was justified."

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