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’Tittle-tattle’ behind Iraq invasion

01 August 2010 01:17 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Former British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott says the intelligence which justified the invasion of Iraq for the government of Tony Blair was nothing more than "tittle-tattle", APA reports quoting presstv.ir website

Speaking before the Iraq war inquiry panel, Prescott said he felt "nervous" at the time as the government was claiming that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein could unleash deadly unconventional attacks on his desired targets within 45 minutes.

Prescott attempted to justify his support for the invasion, saying he was responsible for keeping the cabinet united.

He then held former US Vice President Dick Cheney for pushing with the military option, while acknowledging that the report by the Joint Intelligence Committee on the threat posed by Iraq was based on sufficient evidence.

The US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 was launched under the pretext that Iraq was in possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). However, the alleged WMDs were never found after Britain and the US secured control over the oil-rich country.

Explaining about the activities carried out by intelligence agencies, Prescott told the Iraq Inquiry, led by Sir John Chilcot, that "what they do in intelligence is a bit of tittle-tattle here and a bit more information there."

"The recommendations they made to us were frankly wrong," he added.

Prescott’s remarks come while based on information coming from other sources -- including the diary of Blair’s former Press Secretary Alastair Campbell -- the former British deputy prime minister was hectically lobbying in favor of the war, he knew would be based of faulty intelligence.

The testimony has triggered angry reactions in political circles in the UK with Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, saying that "it just goes to undermine further any sense that the government’s stated reasons for going into Iraq were accurate."

"If John [Prescott] really believes that, why was he so silent at a time of such a momentous decision that has led to a war that has cost the lives of half a million people?" said Labour lawmaker Jeremy Corbyn.