This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/26/chilcot-inquiry-fails-set-date-publication-iraq-war-report

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Chilcot once again fails to set date for publication of Iraq war report Chilcot defends long-delayed Iraq inquiry – but sets no date for publication
(about 2 hours later)
Families who lost relatives during the conflict in Iraq expressed frustration on Wednesday with the Iraq inquiry chairman, Sir John Chilcot, after he failed to set a timetable for publication of his long-delayed report. Sir John Chilcot mounted a robust defence of his embattled Iraq war inquiry, prompting families of those who lost relatives in the conflict to make a renewed threat of legal action to accelerate its publication.
The inquiry chairman expressed sympathy over “the anguish of the families of those who lost their lives in the conflict,” following weeks of political and media criticism over his failure to set a publication date.
Chilcot strongly defended the “Maxwellisation” process in which individuals facing criticism are given an opportunity to respond. That process “is essential not only to the fairness but the accuracy and completeness of our report”, he said. He disclosed that the process had identified fresh government documents that had not been submitted to the inquiry and had opened up “new issues”.
Related: Chilcot inquiry: blame will be spread beyond Blair's inner team, sources sayRelated: Chilcot inquiry: blame will be spread beyond Blair's inner team, sources say
Chilcot mounted a lengthy defence of his embattled inquiry after weeks of criticism from the families as well as David Cameron and other politicians, as well as parts of the media. He expressed sympathy over “the anguish of the families of those who lost their lives in the conflict”. Chilcot, in his statement, suggested that the government and Whitehall were partly to blame, citing delays in requests for classified documents including records of discussions between Tony Blair and George Bush. “This has taken a considerable time. Some documents have been received only this year. The declassification process continues,” he said.
But his comments suggested that six years after the inquiry began, he is even further away from completion than had been assumed. He admitted that he was still waiting for final responses from witnesses even at this late stage. Rose Gentle, co-founder of Military Families Against the War, expressed disappointment that no date for publication has been set. “If we get a date, we will know what has happened and we can all move on. They keep coming up with different excuses. It has taken long enough”
Rose Gentle, co-founder of Military Families Against the War, expressed disappointment that no date for publication had been set. “If we get a date, we will know has happened and we can all move on,” she said. “They keep coming up with different excuses. It has taken long enough.” Asked about resorting to legal action to try to force Chilcot into setting a date, Gentle, whose 19-year-old son Gordon was killed in Iraq in 2004, said: “If this is the only way we can do it, the only move open to us.”
Asked about resorting to legal action to try to force Chilcot into setting a date, Gentle, whose 19-year-old son Gordon was killed in Iraq in 2004, said: “If this is the only way we can do it, the only move open to us. How long is it going to go on for? Why does he not give a time for it?” Lawyers acting on behalf of 29 of the families had set a deadline of 5pm on Wednesday for Chilcot to set a date and said they would proceed with legal action if that deadline was missed.
Lawyers acting on behalf of some of the families had set a deadline of 5pm on Wednesday for Chilcot to set a date. The inquiry into the war began in 2009, with the last of the hearings held in February 2011. The foreign secretary, Philip Hammond added to the pressure on the inquiry team. “We’re frustrated as anybody by the delays in publication of the Chilcot report but the Chilcot inquiry is and it quite properly must remain, an independent inquiry.”
Chilcot’s statement came the day after the Guardian revealed that the inquiry was expanding the focus of its criticism beyond just Tony Blair and his inner team and would include a wide range of ministers, intelligence officers, Whitehall officials and senior military staff. He added that a decision over whether to extend British airstrikes in Iraq to Syria should not have to await the outcome of the inquiry.
Former Labour cabinet minister Clare Short confirmed on Wednesday that she was among those being criticised. She had been sent partial drafts of the report, which she described as “very poor”, suggesting the delay was caused by a need for extensive rewriting. Chilcot’s comments suggested that six years after the inquiry began, he appears to be even further away from completion than had been assumed. He admitted that even at this late stage he was still waiting for final responses from witnesses.
Chilcot, in his statement, hit back at the government and Whitehall, who have joined in expressions of frustration at the delay in publishing the report. He suggested that the government and Whitehall were partly to blame, citing delays in requests for classified documents including records of discussions between Tony Blair and George Bush. “We expect to receive the last responses to our Maxwellisation letters shortly. That will allow us to complete our consideration of the responses, to decide what further work will be needed and to provide the prime minister and thus parliament and the public with a timetable for the publication of our work,” Chilcot said.
“This has taken a considerable time. Some documents have been received only this year. The declassification process continues,” he said. Chilcot’s statement came the day after the Guardian revealed the inquiry is expanding the focus of its criticism beyond just Tony Blair and his inner team and will include a wide range of ministers, intelligence officers, Whitehall officials and senior military staff.
The other holdup, he said, is the “Maxwellisation” process in which individuals facing criticism in the report are given an opportunity to respond. The former Labour Cabinet minister, Clare Short, confirmed on Wednesday she is among those being criticised. She had been sent draft passages of the report, which she described as “very poor”, suggesting the delay was caused by a need for extensive rewriting rather than the Maxwellisation process.
The Maxwellisation process had led to the identification of government documents which had not been submitted to the inquiry and which had in some cases opened up new issues. Short, interviewed on the BBC’s World at One, said: “I see it and think this means everyone’s to blame, no one is to blame, we won’t get a proper diagnosis and it won’t be helpful in finding out what went wrong with our system.”
But, to the dismay of the relatives, his comments suggested that the end was still out of sight. “We expect to receive the last responses to our Maxwellisation letters shortly. That will allow us to complete our consideration of the responses, to decide what further work will be needed and to provide the prime minister and thus parliament and the public with a timetable for the publication of our work,” Chilcot said. Short is criticised in the draft Chilcot report over whether the Department for International Development had done enough to help with reconstruction of Iraq after the invasion.
Short, who was international development secretary at the time and who resigned soon after the invasion, said: “I think what might be true is that the draft is very poor and it’s as big as War and Peace I understand, lots of people have made serious responses and they are probably having to redraft.”
She was sharply criticised by military commanders during the inquiry hearings over failures of the Iraqi reconstruction programme after the invasion.
Philippe Sands QC, an international lawyer who has taken a close interest in the Chilcot inquiry, said: “It appears from what Clare Short has said that the inquiry will say nothing about the legality of the war. That raises a serious concern as to the reliability and authority of any of the findings.”
Sands added submissions to the inquiry on the war’s legality pointed overwhelmingly to the widespread belief that the invasion was illegal.
“Why has the inquiry not published those submissions? Why is the inquiry not dealing with legality in the face of so overwhelming a response to its request?,” he asked.