LONDON, July 21: The British judge heading the inquiry into the death of an arms expert at the centre of a row over intelligence used to justify the invasion of Iraq pledged on Monday to carry out the probe as a matter of urgency.

Lord Hutton has been charged with investigating the apparent suicide last week of arms expert David Kelly, who was confirmed on Sunday as the source behind a BBC news report that claimed Britain had “sexed up” its dossier on Iraq to justify the US-led war.

“I intend to conduct the inquiry with expedition and to report as soon as possible. It is also my intention to conduct the inquiry mostly in public,” Hutton said.

“The government has further stated that it will provide me with the fullest co-operation and that it expects all other authorities and parties to do the same,” he added.

But former British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, who resigned his cabinet position as Leader of the House in protest against Britain’s involvement in the war, said Lord Hutton had been “asked to do the impossible.”

“He has been handed the job of inquiring into the events that led to the tragic death of Dr David Kelly and in the same breath been warned off looking into the events that led to the war on Iraq,” he wrote in a newspaper article on Monday.—AFP