Australia 'exaggerated' Iraq threat

[Kellanved]

A former senior intelligence analyst has accused the Australian government of exaggerating the threat posed by Iraq to justify sending troops to war.

Andrew Wilkie, who resigned in March in protest over Australia's case for war, said Prime Minister John Howard, lied about intelligence reports into Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction.

"The government lied every time it skewed, misrepresented, used selectively and fabricated the Iraq story...The exaggeration was so great it was pure dishonesty," Wilkie, formerly of the Office of National Assessment, told a parliamentary hearing.

...
http://www.itv.com/news/1913529.html

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And:

"Sometimes the exaggeration was so great, it was clear dishonesty," he told the inquiry.

"The material was going straight from ONA (Office of National Assessments) to the prime minister's office and the exaggeration was occurring there, or the dishonesty was occurring somewhere in there," Mr Wilkie said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3172505.stm



Wow, a new Kelly; I wonder if this will have an influence on Blair.

[iangb]

1. Wilkie "blew the whistle" way back.....

....in March.

The Australian Government reaction has been enlightening. From their statements it seems that Wilkie is both:
a) Not credible because his job was too minor to have access to all the Iraq intelligence, and:
b) Endangering Australia's national security by publicly discussing sensitive material.

Wilkie has already appeared before a UK Parliamentary enquiry into their Governments alleged 'massaging' of Iraq intelligence.

[iangb]

2. Meanwhile, Richard Butler says....

....."I am fascinated, I am fascinated by the silence of Tariq Aziz, General Amer Rashid, General Amer al-Saadi, but in the end, nothing beats having people tell you the truth. Now, they have, the United States has in its, in its, in its care these three men. I believe they know the answer to some of these questions. I don't know why they…we've not heard what they have told while in captivity."

more.... http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2003/s930033.htm

Wlikie, stung by the Governments descriptionof him as a "Hysterical malcontent" following yesterdays evidence to the inquiry, told a conference in Sydney: ""The Government lied every time," Mr Wilkie said.

"It skewed, misrepresented, used selectively, and fabricated the Iraq story.

"The Government lied when the Prime Minister's office told the media I was mentally unstable.

"The Government lied when it associated Iraq with the Bali bombing and the Government lied every time that it associated Iraq with the war on terror."

more.... http://www.abc.net.au/news/justin/nat/newsnat-23aug2003-27.htm