Draft Iraq dossier withheld by Foreign Office

Draft Iraq dossier withheld by Foreign Office

The government is still refusing to release a secret draft of its dossier on Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction. The draft was written by the Foreign Office's head of press, who said it did not include the infamous "45-minute claim", according to the New Statesman.

A charity worker has been trying for two years to get the draft report published under the Freedom of Information Act. A Foreign Office spokesman said that the decision not to disclose the draft after a Freedom of Information request in 2005 had been upheld in an internal review. He added that the Foreign Office "remains satisfied that its application of the FOI Act was correct and has no plans to release the draft pending the outcome of the case before the Information Commissioner". Information Commissioner Richard Thomas is considering the matter, and could order the dossier's disclosure.

Battle over 'secret' Iraq dossier (BBC News, 8 November 2006)