25 April 2004	Sunday	04 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

LONDON, April 24: British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon admitted in a newspaper interview on Saturday that he and his officials were guilty of errors in the way they treated a respected expert on Iraqi weapons who committed suicide.

Mr Hoon told the Daily Telegraph that government scientist David Kelly should have been informed earlier that his name was to be made public in the press.

David Kelly, a former UN arms expert, killed himself last July after being named as the source of a hugely controversial BBC report that accused Prime Minister Tony Blair's government of exaggerating the case for invading Iraq.

Mr Hoon told the Telegraph: "I accept with the benefit of hindsight that we should have done more to tell David Kelly about what was happening in the department ... that his name was to be confirmed" to journalists.

"I wish we had thought of it. But we did not."

Dr Kelly's wife, Janice, told Lord Hutton's inquiry that her husband felt betrayed by the defence ministry, because he believed that his anonymity would be protected.

Mr Hoon suggested that there had been a breakdown of communications with officials.

"I asked frequently my private office and others to ensure that people were speaking to him (Kelly) and that he was comfortable with what was happening. That specific thing was not done and, as I say, I regret that was not done."

Mr Hoon, who was seen in the press as a "fall guy" in case the government was badly criticised by Hutton, told the Telegraph that he wanted to remain in a top ministerial job.-AFP