LONDON, July 8: The British government's claim Saddam Hussein could unleash chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes was inadequately supported by intelligence, the Financial Times said on Thursday an inquiry will conclude.
Citing people familiar with Lord Butler's report into intelligence which Prime Minister Tony Blair cited to justify the invasion of Iraq, the newspaper said the intelligence to substantiate the claim was of insufficient quality and intelligence gathered on Iraq was inadequate.
The FT added that Lord Butler's report, to be published on Wednesday, also criticizes the credibility of the source of the 45-minute claim and the way the information was assessed.
Mr Blair supported the invasion - against the majority of public opinion - on the basis of a now notorious dossier, released in Sept 2002, claiming Iraq was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction and that Saddam Hussein could have some weapons ready for use in 45 minutes.
Mr Blair asked former civil servant Butler to conduct a public inquiry into intelligence on Iraq after an earlier probe by Lord Hutton gave the government such a clean bill of health it was dismissed by many as a whitewash. -Reuters
