Brit Defense Chief Faces Grilling

British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon will be cross-examined next week at an inquiry into the apparent suicide of weapons adviser David Kelly, an official said Monday.

Hoon will be questioned by lawyers acting for Kelly's family, the British Broadcasting Corp. and the inquiry itself, as well as his own attorneys, said James Dingemans, a lawyer for the inquiry.

Hoon is the high-ranking official to be recalled in the second round of the inquiry as it works to resolve contradictions in previous testimony.

Prime Minister Tony Blair's communications chief, Alastair Campbell, was also recalled for cross examination by the inquiry, which is headed by senior judge Lord Hutton. Blair's two official spokesmen, Tom Kelly and Godric Smith, were also being called.

Blair, who testified in the first round, was not recalled.

BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan would face cross-examination during the second phase of the inquiry, which began Monday.

Gilligan has identified Kelly as the source of his report that the government had overruled intelligence advisers by claiming in an intelligence dossier that Iraq could deploy some chemical and biological weapons in 45 minutes.

Gilligan subsequently quoted his source as identifying Campbell as the official responsible for "sexing up" the dossier, which was a key document in making the government's case for military action in Iraq.

Kelly was found dead, an apparent suicide, on July 18, days after he had been publicly identified as a possible source for Gilligan's report.

A bitter dispute between Blair's office and the BBC over its report on the dossier has focused public attention on arguments that Blair made for the war — including warnings about weapons of mass destruction that haven't been found in Iraq since the conflict ended.

One result has been a sharp fall in public trust of Blair and his government, according to recent polls, and the biggest crisis his government has faced since coming to power six years ago. Blair's office, which heavily relied on Campbell as its "spin doctor," recently announced that Campbell would step down. Some British newspapers have speculated that Hoon could be dismissed if he is faulted for his department's treatment of Kelly.

So far, Blair has backed Hoon. But at every turn, the prime minister seems to face fresh controversy.

Even when a separate parliamentary committee cleared him of overplaying the Iraqi threat, it revealed that Blair had been advised — but never said publicly — that war with Iraq could place illegal weapons in terrorists' hands.

Before the war, Blair repeatedly warned of the dangers of rogue states providing terrorists with illicit weapons.

The parliamentary committee report published Thursday revealed that intelligence chiefs advised on Feb. 10 that there was no evidence Iraq provided chemical or biological materials to al Qaeda or other terrorists or that Saddam's regime planned attacks with the weapons. But the assessment warned that going to war would in fact increase the threat posted by al Qaeda and other terror groups.

The news prompted another round of public furor.

Testifying Monday, the head of the MI6 intelligence agency, Sir Richard Dearlove, said in retrospect the 45-minute claim had been given undue prominence in the dossier and that it was not explained that the claim related to battlefield rather than strategic weapons.

"But I think the intelligence was accurate, and that it was put to legitimate use in the drafting process," said Dearlove.

Dearlove added that he was "shocked" that Kelly had spoken to a journalist about the preparation of the dossier, calling this a serious breach of discipline.