KELLY BACKED WAR

Sky News ^ | Sky News

[StopDemocratsDotCom]

Government scientist Dr David Kelly believed military action was the only way of "finally and conclusively" disarming Iraq, it is claimed.

The weapons inspector gave his views in an article for a report on Iraq compiled a few weeks before the war against Saddam Hussein.

Dr Kelly agreed to write the article anonymously but it was never published, the report's editor, Julie Flint, told the Observer.

The scientist's body was found on July 18 near his Oxfordshire home in an apparent suicide.

It came just after he was revealed as the source for stories that the Government had "sexed up" intelligence material to strengthen the case for war.

In the article, Dr Kelly said that although the current threat was "modest", Saddam still wanted to stockpile weapons of mass destruction.

UN efforts to disarm Iraq since 1991 amounted to an "abject" failure of diplomacy, wrote Dr Kelly.

The regime had finally readmitted weapons inspectors but was still not co-operating with them, he argued.

"After 12 unsuccessful years of UN supervision of disarmament, military force regrettably appears to be the only way of finally and conclusively disarming Iraq," Dr Kelly wrote.

However, he urged restraint in the prosecution of any action.

"The US, and whoever willingly assists it, should ensure that the force, strength and strategy used is appropriate to the modest threat that Iraq now poses," Dr Kelly wrote.

The article is being sent to the Hutton inquiry, investigating the circumstances surrounding the scientist's death.

Dr Kelly's widow is due to give evidence to the Inquiry on Monday via video link.

[floriduh voter]

Somebody murdered him. Gut feeling. The BBC could not have not gotten anyone that upset.

[Brian S]

Dr Kelly agreed to write the article anonymously but it was never published, the report's editor, Julie Flint, told the Observer.

OK, I believe, I really, really do...

[dighton]

From the Observer:

Revealed: How Kelly article set out case for war in Iraq

[pepsionice]

Dr Kelly had a very fragle personality. With a lot of luck, he moved up in the world, and actually became a key member of Tony's cabinet...and provided key analysis. When the nice folks at the BBC came acalling...asking for public comments on certain topics....he gave them comments. When they came privately, and asked for precise comments, which would not be linked back to him...he gave them those comments (the sexed up comments). When everything broke, and he learned that he was the sole 'big' contributor to the BBC reports...which he had been told on several occassions that he was simply putting bits of the puzzle together that they had already gathered...it wasn't really true. So, kelly stood there as the story unfolded, and got the nasty phonecalls from the cabinet, and his fragle life quickly unfolded in front of him. He could not handle that pressure. Its a sad story...which no one could have forecasted or prevented. And Kelly will end up being a paragraph in British history...in a way that he would never have wanted.

[piasa]

What hole did you pull that conclusion from?

[dighton]

Welcome to FreeRepublic. Have a seat.

[houndofzeus]

genocidal anglophile? The only one who comitted genocide in this incident was Saddam.

[Destro]

Once again: Blair said the threat was major--Kelly said it was modest. That is a big difference. Kelly was not anti-war he was anti-hype. He thought the hype was not required and false.

[exnavy]

Take a read on this one, a little more to the point. Oh yeah, welcome to FReerepublic.