Secrets Begat Secrets and Lies

It seems that the release earlier this week of the first draft of the "dodgy dossier", which was used by Blair to take Britain to war in Iraq, was not quite as full and frank as some may have believed.

The Guardian reports that the Foreign Office successfully fought to keep secret any mention of Israel in the release this week. The Foreign Office succeeded before a tribunal in having a handwritten mention of Israel kept secret.

What was on that handwritten note?

A reference to Israel's nuclear arsenal, and an inference that Israel had flouted the United Nations' authority in a manner similar to that of the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein.

Unfortunately for the Foreign Office, their meddling has been made public and their attempt to suppress the note has failed.

The question now arises as to what else is being withheld from the British public?

Ownership of Yacht Disputed

The ownership of the 269-foot Ocean Breeze, built for Saddam Hussein and docked on the French Riviera, which is up for sale is currently under dispute.

Iraq claims that it belongs to a member of Saddam's entourage, as such it is now the property of the government of Iraq.

A court hearing will be held in March to determine ownership.

The Ocean Breeze was made for a 35-member crew and has 10 rooms, several salons with large-screen TVs, pools, saunas, gold plumbing fixtures, a prayer room and a portable helicopter pad.

It also has special fittings eg; bulletproof windows, a missile-launching system and a secret passage leading to a mini-submarine.

The Dodgy Dossier - First Draft

After many years of ministerial obfuscation and evasion, the British people have been finally allowed to read the text of the first draft of the so called "dodgy dossier" that took them war in Iraq on a false premise - namely that Saddam Hussein possessed WMD.

The first draft made a series of claims about the extent and danger of the Iraqi president's weapons arsenal. However, by the time the final version (the basis for war) was released in September 2002, those had been "sexed up".

In other words, in order to justify the war, Blair and his acolytes adjusted the facts.

The first draft was written by John Williams, the former director of communications at the Foreign Office (ie a spin doctor, not a security expert). He warned that Saddam had come to power by "torture, rape and execution" and concluded that Iraq presented a "uniquely dangerous threat to the world".

There was no mention of Saddam's capability (now disproved) of launching WMD in 45 minutes.

The final dossier, allegedly written by John Scarlett, who was then the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, stated:

"Iraq's military forces are able to use chemical and biological weapons, with command, control and logistical arrangements in place. The Iraqi military are able to deploy these weapons within 45 minutes of a decision to do so."

Last night, Mr Williams told BBC Radio 4's PM programme:

"The 45-minutes claim was absolutely nothing whatever to do with me. It was news to me."

Opposition parties have renewed their calls for a public inquiry into the build-up to the war.

I doubt that Tony Blair cares much one way or another, given that in a supreme twist of sick irony he is now the so called Middle East peace envoy.