Bremer gaffe embarrasses Blair
The head of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq has said Tony Blair’s claim that Saddam Hussein had laboratories for developing weapons of mass destruction was unfounded.
In the interview with the British Forces Broadcasting Service, Mr Blair said: “The Iraq Survey Group has already found massive evidence of a huge system of clandestine laboratories, workings by scientists, plans to develop long range ballistic missiles.”
Paul Bremer said the claim that the Iraq Survey Group (ISG) had discovered “massive evidence” of hidden research facilities was clearly untrue.
Unaware that the quote had come from Tony Blair, Mr Bremer said it sounded like a “red herring” conjured up to destabilise the US-led coalition in Iraq.
In an interview on ITV1’s Jonathan Dimbleby programme, he said: “I don’t know where those words come from but that is not what (ISG chief) David Kay has said.
“I have read his reports so I don’t know who said that.
“It sounds like a bit of a red herring to me. It sounds like someone who doesn’t agree with the policy sets up a red herring then knocks it down.”
When it was made clear to him that the remarks had come from Mr Blair, Mr Bremer appeared to retract his original point of view: “There is actually a lot of evidence that had been made public,” he said
In the interview, Mr Bremer commented on former chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix’s claim that there were no weapons of mass destruction left for Saddam to give up. “You might conclude that Blix is out of touch,” he said.
After his New Year break in Egypt, Mr Blair will face the music when Lord Hutton publishes his review of the events leading to the suicide of weapons scientist Dr David Kelly.
Downing Street said the Prime Minister was referring to already published material in the interim report by the Iraq Survey Group.
