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Hutton report leaves many unanswered questions

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Jan 29, IRNA -- The Hutton report into the death of former 
arms inspector David Kelly received a mixed reception from the 
British press Thursday, with several dailies describing the failure 
to criticize the role of the government as a "whitewash." 
Wednesday`s publication of the long awaited report also failed to 
prevent critics of the Iraq war from continuing their demands for a 
separate independent inquiry into the government`s justification for 
launching military action which Lord Hutton declined to address. 
The report led to the immediate resignation of BBC chairman Gavyn 
Davies, after the state-funded broadcaster was castigated over its 
editorial controls and failure to respond to accusations that it has 
questioned the government`s integrity. 
In his resignation speech, Davies asked whether it was possible 
to "reconcile" the inquiry`s conclusions with evidence presented 
during the hearings. 
Questions about the findings exonerating the behavior of the 
government were also raised by Kelly`s family, who said that the 
conclusions "differ in part from their submissions" made to the 
inquiry. 
In a statement issued through their solicitor, the family also 
called on the government to ensure that the late arms inspector`s 
"ordeal will never be repeated." 
According to the Financial Times, Hutton also did not address 
evidence that the Ministry of Defense failed to relay to concern 
expressed by senior intelligence officers about the content of the 
government`s dossier on Iraq`s arms that was used to justify the war. 
Former BBC chairman Sir Christopher Bland Friday further 
questioned the even-handedness of the report which exonerated the 
Government but "tarred and feathered the BBC." 
It was right to accept Hutton`s central criticism that there were 
some errors in the original BBC report last May that suggested that 
the government exaggerated Iraq`s threat and had been accepted by the 
state-funded broadcaster, he said. 
But Bland said there was a "curious imbalance" in the way he 
treated on the one hand politicians, civil servants and the security 
services, and on the other hand the standards of conduct he applied 
to journalists and broadcasters. 
Speaking for the government on BBC radio`s Today program 
Thursday, Health Secretary John Reid defended the report and claimed
it was Lord wrong to question the balance. 
Several media commentator have expressed concern about what 
implications the report may have on stifling investigative journalism 
and the freedom of the press. 
HC/213 
End