Chief of Iraq war inquiry warns PM: We must be open

THE head of a forthcoming inquiry into the Iraq war said yesterday it was "essential to hold as much of the proceedings of the inquiry as possible in public".

Sir John Chilcot, in a letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, said he would consult opposition party leaders and senior MPs before deciding the exact format of the inquiry.

However, he told Mr Brown: "More broadly, I believe it will be essential to hold as much of the proceedings of the inquiry as possible in public, consistent with the need to protect national security and to ensure and enable complete candour in the oral and written evidence from witnesses."

Mr Brown had initially said the whole inquiry would be held behind closed doors for security reasons, but then he told Sir John he could decide to hold some parts in public – after an outcry over the secrecy.

Sir John also said there was a need to give the families of those who died or were "seriously affected" by the conflict "an early opportunity to express their views about the nature and procedures of the inquiry, and to express them either in public or in private as they prefer".

Former prime minister Sir John Major, senior military figures including former army head Sir Mike Jackson and Lord Butler of Brockwell, the head of the last official inquiry on the war, were among critics who forced Mr Brown into a partial climbdown over openness.

No 10 sought to defuse the row by suggesting the government did not have an attachment to closed hearings and that Sir John would have a degree of discretion in how he conducted proceedings.

Tony Blair, prime minister at the time of the invasion, was reported at the weekend to have urged his successor to keep the hearings secret to avoid them becoming a show trial.

In his letter, the inquiry chairman welcomed "the fact that I and my colleagues are free to decide independently how best to fulfil our remit".

He suggested that a "significant part" of the inquiry, especially in the early stages, would be taken up with analysis of the vast quantities of documentary evidence related to the build-up, conduct and aftermath of the invasion stretching over seven years.

"By definition, that part of the process cannot be conducted in public sessions," he noted.

"The results of that examination and analysis will, however, be crucial in guiding the selection of witnesses and the detailed questions that will then need to be answered. I expect our report will publish all the relevant evidence except where national security considerations prevent that."

He said he had already begun the process of recruiting expert assessors on military, legal, international development and reconstruction matters.

In his reply to Sir John's letter, Mr Brown said: "I believe your proposals will manage to meet both the need not to compromise national security but also enable the independent inquiry to hold public sessions, helping to build public confidence."