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Iraq Inquiry: Chilcot rejects calls for report timetable Iraq Inquiry: Chilcot rejects calls for report timetable
(35 minutes later)
The head of the official inquiry into the Iraq War has told MPs he hopes its final report will be published "as soon as possible" but rejected calls to set out a timetable for publication. The head of the official inquiry into the Iraq War has rejected calls to set a timetable for publication, saying he does not want to "arouse false hopes".
Sir John Chilcot said he had "under-estimated" the time it would take to examine 150,000 documents. Sir John Chilcot told MPs he had "under-estimated" the time it would take to study up to 150,000 documents.
The inquiry had a "conscious duty" to get "access to the truth", he told MPs. And he said the process of giving key figures the right to respond to criticism was holding up the process.
He also informed MPs one of the panel members, historian Martin Gilbert, had died following a long illness. He also informed MPs one of the panel members, historian Sir Martin Gilbert, had died following a long illness.
It is the first time Sir John Chilcot has been cross-examined about his work since the inquiry began in 2009. Sir Martin, the author of a best-selling biography of Sir Winston Churchill and one of five members of the inquiry panel, died on Tuesday, Sir John said.
Appearing before the the Foreign Affairs Committee, Sir John repeated his opinion that there was no "realistic prospect" of it being released before the election on 7 May. The inquiry, which began in 2009, is considering how UK forces came to participate in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and its aftermath, which saw UK troops remain in the country for six years.
Appearing for 70 minutes before the Foreign Affairs Committee, Sir John repeated his view that there was no "realistic prospect" of the report being released before the election on 7 May.
'Unprecedented''Unprecedented'
He told MPs that the inquiry was "unprecedented in scope" and there had been protracted negotiations with the government over the release of classified documents. He told MPs that the inquiry was "unprecedented in scope" and there had been protracted negotiations with the government over the release of classified documents, including correspondence between former PM Tony Blair and President George W. Bush.
He said the process by which those likely to be criticised in the report are invited to respond had begun later than planned in the autumn. The process by which those likely to be criticised in the report are given the right to respond, known as Maxwellisation, had begun later than planned in the autumn, he said.
Until that process was complete, he said he would not be "able to say anything useful" about when the report would be published. And he suggested that completing this successfully was the primary obstacle standing in the way of the report's publication.
"What I am determined to do is to get the report to the prime minister and out as soon as we can," he said. He said: "What I can't say, until the Maxwellisation process is complete, is that I will be able to say anything useful to the prime minister or to the families. Once that is complete it is a different matter."
He said he would not be prevented from publishing the report because of the looming general election. Conservative MP Nadhim Zarhawi said the continued uncertainty was "painful" for the families of the 179 British personnel who died in Iraq.
'Timeframe' Sir John acknowledged this but said the Maxwellisation process was "genuinely difficult" because of the need to ensure fairness and confidentiality for all those involved.
The inquiry is considering how UK forces came to participate in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and its aftermath, which saw UK troops remain in the country until 2009. He added: "What I am determined to do is to get the report to the prime minister and out as soon as we can."
In a Commons debate last week, MPs from all sides called for continued delays to the report to be explained. Sir John insisted the report was not being held back because of concerns about the political consequences of releasing it in the run-up to May's general election.
The cross-party committee, chaired by Conservative MP Sir Richard Ottaway, has said it will focus its questions on "the preparation of his report" - which is expected to be more than a million words long - and on the "obstacles which remain before he can submit it to the prime minister". "I don't believe the timing in relation to a political event, even one as important as a general election, determines the issue," he said.
"This is an opportunity for Sir John Chilcot to set out the reasons for the delay," Sir Richard told Radio 4's Today programme. And he also rejected calls for guidance on when it would eventually be released.
"We want him to have a look at the overall timeframe he has been operating under or not been operating under. We want to pose some questions to him about the evidence and the publication of evidence." "The risk of either arousing false hopes or false expectations either way outweighs for me the powerful appetite, for all sorts of often good reasons, to know when the report is likely to become available."
Asked whether he would give Sir John a "hard time", Sir Richard said the session would be "dignified but focused". The inquiry had a "conscious duty" to get "access to the truth", he told MPs, and moving at a quicker pace could have undermined the "depth" of the final report.
But Sir John has said he will be "constrained" in what he can say and will not:
In a statement last month, he said the inquiry had taken longer than he and his other panel members had expected but he would not be giving a "running commentary".
"We are conscious of our responsibility - to the public and to all those whose lives have been deeply affected by the events we are examining - to discharge our duty thoroughly, impartially and fairly."
'Deserve answers''Deserve answers'
Wednesday's hearing is the first time Sir John Chilcot has been cross-examined about his work since the inquiry began in 2009.
In a Commons debate last week, MPs from all sides called for continued delays to the report to be explained.
Ministers say they are frustrated by the delays but cannot intervene because it is an independent inquiry.Ministers say they are frustrated by the delays but cannot intervene because it is an independent inquiry.
It is not known who has received letters of criticism as part of the Maxwellisation process but key figures in the decision to go to war, including Tony Blair, have rejected claims they are holding up the process and say they want it released as soon as possible.
But Conservative backbencher David Davis suggested that the Civil Service, which has the final say over which documents relating to Iraq can be published, was partly to blame.But Conservative backbencher David Davis suggested that the Civil Service, which has the final say over which documents relating to Iraq can be published, was partly to blame.
"The Sir Humphrey Mafia are being difficult," he told Today. "They have an interest in keeping secrets.""The Sir Humphrey Mafia are being difficult," he told Today. "They have an interest in keeping secrets."
And Lib Dem MP Tim Farron said it was "appalling" that the families of the 179 British personnel who died in Iraq between 2003 and 2009 had had to wait so long to find out why Britain had gone to war.And Lib Dem MP Tim Farron said it was "appalling" that the families of the 179 British personnel who died in Iraq between 2003 and 2009 had had to wait so long to find out why Britain had gone to war.
"This country deserves answers," he told the BBC News Channel. "The people who lost loved ones in Iraq deserve answers.""This country deserves answers," he told the BBC News Channel. "The people who lost loved ones in Iraq deserve answers."