Kelly: Full prove promised

2003-07-19 22:13

London - British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon on Saturday promised full government co-operation with an independent judicial inquiry into the death of arms expert David Kelly.

Speaking shortly after confirmation Kelly had died after apparently slashing his own wrist, Hoon described the news as "shocking and tragic."

"It is vitally important that we get to the bottom of this," Hoon said.

"That is why we have established an independent inquiry under a very senior judge and the ministry of defence will co-operate completely with that inquiry."

Kelly's suicide came after he was grilled by a parliamentary committee over whether he was the source of a BBC report that officials working for Prime Minister Tony Blair had exaggerated Iraq's weapons capacity in order to strengthen the case for going to war earlier this year.

Hoon said ministry officials responsible for putting Kelly in front of the committee, an ordeal which friends say left him deeply depressed, had acted in line with established procedures.

"At every stage the appropriate procedures were followed inside the Ministry of Defence to ensure that Dr Kelly's rights were properly respected and properly handled in what were obviously very difficult and very sensitive circumstances."

But he acknowledged that, with hindsight, things might have been handled differently.

"It is not something that any of us want to see happening again and something we must learn lessons from."

The government inquiry will be led by a senior judge, Lord Hutton. Hoon said the judge would decide whether the inquiry was conducted in private or public.

- AFX