Wednesday, June 18, 2003

Short's verdict - War "Shocking, shoddy and shameful"

SHORT'S ALLEGATIONS

* Tony Blair was guilty of using ruses and "an honourable deception" to persuade ministers, parliament and the British people of the case for war.

* Number 10 used "a series of half truths and exaggerated risks" to talk up the threat posed by Saddam Hussein.

* There was a collapse of the decision-making process at the highest levels of Government as the Prime Minister took key decisions in consultation with his "entourage" rather than Cabinet colleagues.

* None of the raw intelligence on Iraq nor repeated face-to-face briefings by MI6 and the Defence Intelligence Staff seen by Ms Short backed up the Prime Minister's claim that weapons of mass destruction could be deployed "within 45 minutes".

* MI6 concluded that Iraq's weapons were "a risk, but the risk of use was not high".

* The February "dodgy dossier" was a "shameful piece of work"

* The Cabinet had no full discussion of the options in the run-up to war, no options papers were prepared and the Cabinet; "very, very poor and shoddy work".

* The Cabinet Defence and Overseas Policy committee never met to discuss the Iraq crisis.

* The Foreign Office was "sucked out" of the decision to go to war.

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