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| Chilcot report live: Results of Iraq War inquiry due to be published 13 years after Tony Blair's invasion - latest news | |
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| The long-awaited official report into Britain's invasion of Iraq will finally be published today amid calls for Tony Blair to be held to account. | The long-awaited official report into Britain's invasion of Iraq will finally be published today amid calls for Tony Blair to be held to account. |
| Thirteen years after British troops crossed into the country and seven years after the inquiry began its work, Sir John Chilcot will deliver his verdict on the UK's most controversial military engagement of the post-war era. | Thirteen years after British troops crossed into the country and seven years after the inquiry began its work, Sir John Chilcot will deliver his verdict on the UK's most controversial military engagement of the post-war era. |
| From the outset he made clear he would not rule on whether the invasion in 2003 was legal in terms of international law, pledging to provide a “full and insightful” account of the decision-making process. | From the outset he made clear he would not rule on whether the invasion in 2003 was legal in terms of international law, pledging to provide a “full and insightful” account of the decision-making process. |
| But that is unlikely to quell the clamour for some form of legal action against the former prime minister if - as many expect - he is strongly criticised by Sir John and his inquiry panel. | But that is unlikely to quell the clamour for some form of legal action against the former prime minister if - as many expect - he is strongly criticised by Sir John and his inquiry panel. |
| With some families of the British personnel killed and injured in the conflict already dismissing the report as a “whitewash”, Sir John insisted they had not shied away from criticism where it was justified. | With some families of the British personnel killed and injured in the conflict already dismissing the report as a “whitewash”, Sir John insisted they had not shied away from criticism where it was justified. |
| He acknowledged frustration at the time taken to complete the report but said they had faced a “huge task” in sifting through the tens of thousands of official documents as well as taking oral evidence from dozens of politicians, generals, diplomats and spies. | He acknowledged frustration at the time taken to complete the report but said they had faced a “huge task” in sifting through the tens of thousands of official documents as well as taking oral evidence from dozens of politicians, generals, diplomats and spies. |
| The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, said charges cannot be brought in relation to the decision to go to war as the court has no jurisdiction over the “crime of aggression”. | The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, said charges cannot be brought in relation to the decision to go to war as the court has no jurisdiction over the “crime of aggression”. |
| Sir John originally hoped his report would be ready within two years of starting work in 2009, but it has since been hit by a series of delays. | Sir John originally hoped his report would be ready within two years of starting work in 2009, but it has since been hit by a series of delays. |
| The most serious has been bitter wrangling between the inquiry and the Cabinet Office over the de-classification of hundreds of official documents - most notably communications between Mr Blair and US president George Bush. | The most serious has been bitter wrangling between the inquiry and the Cabinet Office over the de-classification of hundreds of official documents - most notably communications between Mr Blair and US president George Bush. |
| In May 2014 it was finally announced an agreement had been reached between Sir John and Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood that “gists or quotes” from the correspondence could be published, although Mr Bush's views would not be reflected. | In May 2014 it was finally announced an agreement had been reached between Sir John and Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood that “gists or quotes” from the correspondence could be published, although Mr Bush's views would not be reflected. |
| That was followed by a further period of delay while the inquiry carried out the so-called Maxwellisation process - allowing individuals facing criticism the chance to respond before the report was finalised. | That was followed by a further period of delay while the inquiry carried out the so-called Maxwellisation process - allowing individuals facing criticism the chance to respond before the report was finalised. |
| Issues covered by the report include the diplomatic build-up to the invasion following the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001 through to the end of the UK occupation in 2009. | Issues covered by the report include the diplomatic build-up to the invasion following the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001 through to the end of the UK occupation in 2009. |