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Sacked BBC chief hits back at Hutton report

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Jan 30, IRNA - Former BBC Director General Greg Dyke started 
Friday to hit back at Lord Hutton`s controversial report into the 
death of Iraq arms inspector David Kelly, saying the former Law Lord 
was "quite clearly wrong" on some points of law in his findings. 
Dyke, who was forced to step down as the corporation`s chief 
executive after the resignation of BBC chairman Gavyn Davies, also 
criticised Prime Minister Tony Blair`s former Communications Director 
Alastair Campbell for being "ungracious" in the aftermath of the 
He said that he agreed with Davies that one could not "choose the 
referee" and had to accept Hutton`s conclusions, but pointed out it 
was the government who chose the judge. 
Speaking on independent television`s GMTV programme Friday, the 
popularist BBC chief said he would be interested to know what other 
law lords might think of Hutton`s findings, which castigated the BBC 
but exonerated the government of any wrong-doings. 
"We knew mistakes had been made but we didn`t believe they were 
only by us," he said. "We were shocked it was so black and white," he 
added. 
Dyke was forced to step down on Thursday when the BBC`s acting 
chairman Lord Ryder issued an "unreserved apology" demanded by the 
government after Davies had already resigned. 
On Wednesday, the former director general apologised but only for 
some errors in "certain key allegations" made in the BBC`s report 
last May that claimed that the government exaggerated Iraq`s arms 
threat to justify the war. 
His resignation produced an unprecedented spontaneous 
demonstration of support from hundreds of staff who worked out of the 
BBC`s television centre in London on Thursday. 
"I did not want to go," he admitted to the employees, but added 
that he was resigning in an attempt to "draw a line under this 
episode." He said that his "sole aim" had been to defend the 
editorial independence of the BBC. 
On Thursday, former Conservative Defence Secretary Michael 
Portillo led calls for the BBC`s independence to be protected as a 
number of Labour MPs voiced fears the government would exploit the 
resignations to cow the corporation. 
"It is absolutely essential that the BBC remain editorially 
independent and that it should not be frightened of the government," 
Portillo told a BBC discussion programme. 
Following the full apology, Blair said that it was "all I ever 
wanted" for the past eights months and said that he accepted that it 
does "allow us to draw a line and move on." 
But former managing director of BBC World Service, John Tusa, 
warned that Campbell, who had led the government`s demand, was "in no 
mood to take prisoners." 
The Hutton Report was "grossly unfair" and will be "driven back 
yard by yard" if it adopts a policy of minimal concessions, Tusa 
warned in an article for the Guardian newspaper Friday. 
He said that he hoped the new appointments at the BBC to replace 
Davies and Dyke will be "robust and independent and will be willing 
to stand up to the government." 
HC/214 
End