MI6 chief defends Iraq`s claimed use of weapons in 45 minutes
IRNA
London, Sept 15, IRNA -- The head of Britain`s overseas intelligence agency MI6 Monday defended the controversial claim that Iraq could deploy weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes. Sir Richard Dearlove insisted that the claim was `reliable` and came from an established source `equating to a senior Iraqi military officer who was certainly in a position to know this information`. Giving evidence via audiolink to the inquiry into the death of former Iraq arms inspector, he denied that he had seen a memo from Defense Intelligence expressing concerns about the claim. The MI6 chief said that he did not agree that the 45 minutes claim was put too strongly in the government`s controversial dossier on Iraq`s arms threat published last September. But he accepted that it could be argued that it was given undue prominence given `the misinterpretation` that was placed on the 45 minute intelligence. `With the benefit of hindsight` there had been some valid criticism, he said. Kelly, who worked as an advisor to the Defense Ministry, is assumed to have committed suicide after being named as the suspected source for a BBC report on claims that the government exaggerated intelligence in the dossier. He reportedly said the 45-minute claim had been inserted at the behest of the Prime Minister`s Office against the wishes of the intelligence agencies. Earlier Monday, former deputy chief of Defense Intelligence Tony Cragg said there had been some unhappiness among DIS staff about language used in the dossier. His evidence followed Brian Jones, the manager of DIS scientists, telling the inquiry two weeks ago there were worries that claims had been `over-egged` in the dossier. But following Cragg, former chief of defense intelligence Air Marshal Sir Joe French at the time the dossier was draft said that he was content with the wording of the dossier. HC/AH/210 End
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