The chairman of
the official British inquiry into the death of weapons expert
David Kelly says he himself will decide on the extent and
scope of the probe, which will be held mostly in public.
Mr. Kelly was found dead Thursday in an apparent suicide.
His death came amid controversy over a British Broadcasting
Corporation report that the government exaggerated the threat
of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction to strengthen its case
for war.
Opposition politicians have called on the inquiry chairman
- Lord Brian Hutton - to expand his investigation to cover
whether the British government did in fact exaggerate the
threat. Prime Minister Tony Blair said his government will
cooperate with the inquiry but that it should be limited to
the death of David Kelly.
The BBC said Sunday Mr. Kelly was the main source for its
story. Mr. Kelly had appeared before lawmakers Tuesday and
admitted having met with a BBC reporter, but denied being the
source for the claim of exaggeration.
Lord Hutton, one of the Law Lords on Britain's highest
court of appeal, said he will decide as he thinks right and
proper what matters to investigate. He said the inquiry will
be conducted mostly in public and will begin as soon as
possible.
Prime Minister Blair, now in Beijing, China, has said he
will not recall parliament over the recent developments, which
have mushroomed into the biggest political crisis of Mr.
Blair's career.
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