Kelly family attacks 'government duplicity'

[T_i_B]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3137672.stm

Dr David Kelly's family want to expose the government's "duplicity" in the way it treated the scientist before his apparent suicide, their barrister has told the Hutton inquiry.

Mr Gompertz said the nation had lost its greatest expert in biological weapons, someone who had been used by the Government "as a pawn in their political battle with the BBC" and characterised as a "middle ranking official".

He concluded: "No wonder Dr Kelly felt betrayed after giving his life in service to the country... in his despair, he seems to have taken his own life."

"Never again should someone be put in such a position," said Mr Gompertz, who pointed to the way Dr Kelly was named and the "total lack of care" he was given amid a media frenzy. He attacked government "hypocrisy" in denying there was a strategy to use Dr Kelly in the dossier row. "This was a cynical abuse of power which deserves the strongest possible condemnation," said Mr Gompertz.

[emad]

1. Something's still not right here:

1: If Kelly was the UK's 'greatest expert in biological weapons' with myriad contacts in US/UN intelligence as well as in Iraq, how come he didn't say that there was nothing to find - given that absolutely nothing HAS been found? All he did ALLEGEDLY say was that reports were exaggerated by Blair's spindoctor.

2: If it was the Iraqis who were spinning up the story about just how massive Saddam's arsenal of WMDs was, were they only just calling Bush's/Blair's bluff: come and get me, George, my weapon's more awesome than yours, etc...

3: None of what we have heard in the Hutton enquiry still explains why a tough cookie like Dr Kelly would take his own life - unless he had something personal to hide, eg: some awful, hidden personal agenda like......someone made him/paid him to go along with all the pre-war proof stuff, knowing it would end with a massive credibility blow to US/UK military intelligence?

4: Medical evidence has said he was not depressed. Family evidence said he suddenly became very worried and fretful about being exposed as Gilligan's press source. Why should that bother him if he was clean? Unless, of course, he was worried something else about him might get exposed. otherwise, it makes no sense whatsoever. He WAS a toughie, that's why they sent him out to Iraq, and trusted him as the official Iraq wmds press source.

[AP]

3. Kelly's wife, sister and daughter testified that Kelly was upset

that he had been characterized as a low level official who wasn't involved in the drafting of the final report. They acknowledged that this was a true characterization of Kelly's role, but that it upset him. They also said that he was confused about how opinions he related to Gilligan were reported as facts.

[emad]

5. Still doesn't make sense.

They said he was upset, but that it was a massive shock that he had topped himself. Nothing is from nothing: It's not as if he was some effete wacko doing a job beyond his professional capabilities.

The family is also on record as saying he'd done nothing wrong that could merit him being fired, and having his pension confiscated - the usual penalty for UK civil servants caught out and sacked.

He WAS extremely close to official retirement and suicide does not preclude widow's pension entitlements! But if all he expected was a possible reprimand, why kill himself?

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

4. I beg to differ

1) His position was that there was a 30% chance that Iraq had chemical/biological wepoans still existed in Iraq, but 100% that Saddam had programmes in place (however dilapidated). He felt that sadly the only way to help the Iraqi's would be "regime change" as as long as Saddam was in power, he would always try to aquire WMD's whilst letting his people suffer under sanctions.

2) Don't forget the role of the INC (Chalabi's) exile's in spinning up intelligence. A group created by the CIA through Rendon in 1991 as a PR front to demonstrate opposition to Saddam does not a reliable source make, but I get your general point.

One nagging thing through this inquiry has been the question of what exactly Kelly's job was from 1999-2002/3 -- his employers were at various times Porton Down, the FCO, the MOD, UNMOVIC, plus assistance to SIS & DIS --- it's hard to gain an accurate picture of what intelligence he (and indeed our spooks) were getting from the chain. Aside from the 45-minute thang & the assertion that our government has another source for the Niger uranium claim -- there's very little intelligence that has surfaced from Iraq itself.

A part of this, I believe, is the CIC (Coalition Information Centre), chaired by Campbell over here with help from Bush admin PR guys & -- from what several articles have suggested -- imput from Rumsfeld / Wolfawitz's OSP. Sadly, the mid-level spooks & civil servants have been so cowed by the Kelly affair that there's been very few press leaks since mid-July.

3) I'm personally happy with all the physical evidence that Kelly killed himself (although -- as with all these cases -- there remain a few nagging points). Read the Kelly family lawyer's submission when it goes online -- he charts a very good case for the turbulence that the MoD in particular put Kelly through far better than I can.

-- One thing though that has not been referred to since is the evidence given by David Broucher. The "dead in the woods" quotes is troubling, but could be explained by a tragically coincidental turn of phrase. But what didn't get so much press time was Broucher's contention that Kelly revealed that he was in touch with senior Iraqi's & Iraqi scientists trying to convince them to go along with the weapons inspectors --- for one this is impossible, if, as the Kelly family believes from Kelly's own diary, Kelly met Broucher in Feb 2002 and not Feb 2003 --- and secondly, Kelly doesn't appear the sort of man to do something like advise "the enemy" without permission (from SIS?) and as nothing further has been disclosed about this activity it's impossible to comment further without speculation.

4) Again, Kelly family lawyer makes a strong case IMHO -- his thesis is that the MoD basically told Kelly that he won't face sacking (or even OSA prosecution) if he agrees to appear before the FAC -- after being 'schooled' - & act as a weapon against the BBC.

5) This is so irrelevant anyway! Kelly knew what he knew, spoke to a journo, became a cause celeb for Campbell & as a result killed himself. Meanwhile, Blair et al have got away - so far - without actually having a full inquiry into the reasons why we went to war & the evidence to support the government's position. And after the Hutton Inquiry is over, Hoon will go, and that will be the end of the matter as far as Downing St is concerned.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. For your point 2

It's possible that Saddam's stories about WMD (if they were) were aimed at Israel as well - to deter attacks like the one on Iraq's nuclear reactor in the 80s. It would also be useful for keeping internal revolts down.

[emad]

11. QED? Israel is a strong contender in this one, no doubt of it.

UK embassies in Tel Aviv and Amman are known to have been the main intelligence gathering stations on Iraq military development and had previously played significant roles in intelligence gathering re the enforcement of the no-fly zones after Gulf 1. The main beneficiary of taking Saddam out would be Israel, 100% certain.

But don't forget that Peter Mandelson paid an odd visit to Syria to check out Assad's son, sometime in 2001, followed by a rather odd state visit to the UK by Syria's President Assad Junior, and his lovely wife (reported as originally hailing from the London Borough of Ealing!!!)

Then Blair's asshole Middle East Envoy and chief Labour Party fundraiser Lord Levy went on a frantic round of shittle (or is it shuttle...) diplomacy having acquired a desk in the F.O. for no apparent reason other than being TB's 'tennis partner'. Then last summer, the UK's Sunday Times reported that Levy had paid no UK tax, but had received 'consultancy fees' from Australia's Frank Lowy, a supermarket developer who had taken out a new 99 year lease option on shopping mall facilities at what became ground zero, before 9-11 erupted.....

Levity aside, it is worrying that the UK's man in Tel Aviv, Sherard Cowper Coles, was in overall charge of embassy operations from mid-2001. He was Robin Cook's PPS when Cook was Foreign Secretary and was rapidly promoted to the status of Ambassador to Israel after a brief stint with Cook. Previously he had been stationed in Paris, and Washington, in junior roles. His sudden elevation, while not unprecedented in diplomatic circles, was notable for its destination.

[AP]

2. He also called Gilligan "unreliable"

[Oggy]

6. One thing to add to all said here

Is that David Kelly was the sort of person who's job is their life. His family and friends have have made this point. If he saw his job and therefore his life, being belittled, and then thought he may lose his job, you can see how he may have been having suicidle thoughts.

[dArKeR]

8. HOON'S 'CYNICAL ABUSE OF POWER" - Mirror

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/content_objectid=13447492_method=full_siteid=50143_headline=-HOON%2DS%2D%2DCYNICAL%2DABUSE%2DOF%2DPOWER%2D-name_page.html

[emad]

12. Bottom Line: After years of Saddam 'sabre rattling' which was duly

taken with a pinch of salt by the UN, but backed up with weapons inspectors until late 1998, along comes George Bush Junior, who suddenly strikes up a massive friendship with his new politicdal soul mate Tony Blair and announces to the world that he wants to build Star Wars 2 and rid the world of an axis of evil.

A lot of history happens around 9-11, which is taken as a completely surprise event, by previously canny and reliable intelligence services, both in the US and UK, and worldwide.

Message to the world: we didn't know this was going to happen....hang on, blame Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban in Afghanistan, where newly promoted Marcus Wolf protegee 'Ras' Putin has some trouble, after 10 years of Viet Nam-like conflict for the Russians.

Roll forward to 2003: On the basis of UK/US intelligence, Bush and Blair send the boys in 'to get Saddam'. Never mind that there's already been one supposed catastrophic intelligence failure.

Then Dr Kelly is - surprisingly! - found 'dead in the bushes' and a massive inspectors' inquiry in Iraq finds no WMDs.

So just whose sabre was Saddam rattling? And who else are the cynical abusers of power: Sharon? Jose Maria Aznar? etc

[dArKeR]

9. Kelly's family wants government criticised - Mirror

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/24by7panews/page.cfm?objectid=13446693&method=full&siteid=50143

[dArKeR]

10. Kelly family condemns government - Mirror

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/24by7panews/page.cfm?objectid=13447902&method=full&siteid=50143