Blair Testifies before Hutton Inquiry into Kelly Affair

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, August 28, 2003

Blair Testifies before Hutton Inquiry into Kelly Affair

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British Prime Minister Tony Blair began Thursday giving evidence to a judicial inquiry into arms expert David Kelly's death, which has sparked the worst crisis in his rule and damaged his credibility greatly.

The inquiry, led by Lord Hutton, first asked the prime minister about Downing Street's September dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, including a key claim that Saddam Hussein could use these weapons within 45 minutes.

Blair said the dossier was drawn up because of a renewed sense of urgency after the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States and the 45 minutes claim came from British intelligence.

"I also knew it had to be a document that was owned by the Joint Intelligence Committee and its chairman John Scarlett ... We could not produce this as evidence that came from anything other than an objective source," he said.

Kelly, a former UN arms inspector in Iraq, died with a slit wrist days after his name was leaked to the public as the source of BBC reports claiming Downing Street had "sexed up" evidence on Iraq weapons in the dossier so as to drive the country into the war.

Blair is only the second British prime minister to face the scrutiny of a judicial inquiry.

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