Further Iraq dossier released

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Jon Bright (London, OK): The government has today finally been forced into the publication of an early version the Iraq weapons dossier which was at the heart of Dr. Kelly's death and the subsequent Hutton inquiry. There is, quite unsurprisingly, no mention of "45 minutes." Several other drafts have been published, of course - we've essentially been here before. But it's another reminder of the breathless, colourful language these "dossiers" were written in - a far cry from the sort of dispassionate analysis one might hope for from intelligence services and their counterparts. To quote:

On the basis of our best assessment, the British government is convinced that Iraq is actively assembling an arsenal of terror weapons with which to intimidate its neighbours and the wider international community...Iraq is testing, procuring, constructing and recruiting the personnel, infrastructure, materials and technology necessary for a major capability in mass destruction. Saddam cannot be allowed to put himself in a position to use it. We do not need a crystal ball to see how he would use it. The record speaks grimly for itself.

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