UK: LONDON: ARMS TO IRAQ SCANDAL BROUGHT TO HEAD BY SCOTT REPORT

(15 Feb 1996) English/Nat

A political time bomb, ticking away at the heart of the British government for the past three years, finally exploded on Thursday - with the publication of a report on British arms sales to Iraq.

The report, by judge Sir Richard Scott, centred on allegations that ministers misled parliament and suppressed evidence in a trial that could have sent three innocent businessmen to jail.

In parliament Thursday the government said the report completely cleared ministers of any wrong-doing. But the opposition Labour party said the whole story had yet to come out.

D-Day for John Major - leaving Downing Street on Thursday as parliament prepared for its first taste of the Scott Inquiry report.

Inside the House, Mr Major made clear that if the report censured any of his ministers, they'd have to quit:

SOUNDBITE: "If I judge ministers who have knowingly mislead the house then they cannot stay and that remains my position."
SUPER CAPTION: John Major, British prime minister

But there was little sign of criticism in the summary given to MPs by Ian Lang, president of the Board of Trade (Trade Minister). In fact, he said, the report cleared the government entirely:

SOUNDBITE: "Madam Speaker I turn now to the most important reasons why my right honourable friend the Prime Minister set up the inquiry in the first place. This is the grave allegation that Ministers, by signing Public Interest Immunity Certificates, conspired in a way which could have sent innocent men to prison. Sir Richard Scott's report demonstrates that this allegation is false and without foundation. I quote from Sir Richard's words....
SUPER CAPTION: Ian Lang, President, Board of Trade

(Speaker intervenes) "Chairmen, order, order, the Minister is making a statement. If you've got questions to ask you may seek to catch my eye later. Meanwhile we shall hear the Minister out."

"Madam Speaker there could hardly be a more serious set of charges levelled against Ministers of the Crown. And they are now shown to be utterly unfounded. There was no conspiracy, there was no cover up. Such charges are reckless and malicious and they should never have been made.
SUPER CAPTION: Ian Lang, president, Board of Trade

This had been a testing day for William Waldegrave, a senior Treasury minister. Waldegrave, a member of the English nobility related to Queen Elizabeth, had been accused of misleading parliament.

UPSOUND: "Are you going to resign today, Mr Waldegrave?"

But Lang quoted the report as saying Waldegrave had done nothing wrong:

SOUNDBITE: "Those who alleged otherwise should now withdraw unreservedly and apologise to the House. And to my right honourable and honourable friend whom they have defamed.
SUPER CAPTION: Ian Lang

But Robin Cook, who speaks on foreign affairs for the opposition Labour Party, said parliament still hadn't been told the whole truth:

SOUNDBITE: "This report documents how Ministers changed the guidelines but were more worried about MP's and public might find out than they were about what Saddam Hussein might do with those weapons."
SUPER CAPTION: Robin Cook, Opposition Foreign Affairs

It was a lengthy report - 2-thousand pages long - and its publication had been seen as a political time bomb for the Major administration.

But Richard Norton-Taylor, who followed the Scott Inquiry for the Guardian newspaper, says the whole affair had a peculiarly British ring to it:

CAPTION: Richard Norton-Taylor, Journalist


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