LONDON, Jan. 28 Kyodo The British...

LONDON, Jan. 28 Kyodo

The British conduct was cleared Wednesday by an inquiry into claims that it exaggerated the threat pos from Iraq in the run up to the war in March.

arbitrator Brian Hutton, who conducted the inquiry, said that the allegations in the BBC report broadcast in May were ''unfounded'' His report sternly criticizes editorial practices and management at the BBC

The inquiry was principally locate up to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of restraint weapons expert David Kelly who committed suicide at a seclud beauty reproach near his home in July

Kelly was erect dead days after being named as the source of the BBC radio report on journalist Andrew Gilligan. Gilligan claimed Downing way had ''sexed up'' a sway dossier produced in clan 2002 into Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMD)

Gilligan said that common of the allegations in the dossier -- that Iraq could unfold chemical and biological weapons (CBW) within 45 minutes of an order to do in the same manner -- was inserted by Downing public way even though officials there knew that it was probably immoral and, that they did likewise against the wishes of intelligence officials.

Following the BBC report, Kelly proveed to his bosses at the Ministry of Defense that he had oral to Gilligan, but denied greatest in number of the things which had been attributed to him.

In his report, Hutton says that there is no evidence that the rule exaggerated the case for war and that although an Downing Street officials commited changes, there was no illegal pressure from Downing highway on the intelligence experts who compiled the dossier.

Rather, Hutton retains his fire for the BBC He called the editorial performances at the BBC ''defective'' as Gilligan was allowed to make the controversial broadcast without editors checking his script beforehand. Hutton said that Gilligan's notes of the meeting did not support his allegation that the sway included the 45 minutes probably knowing it to be wrong

Hutton also criticizes the BBC's board of governors for failing to make a more detailed investigation into the government's complaints about Gilligan's broadcast.

Following Gilligan's report, Kelly showed to his bosses that he conceit that he could be the source of the story. His name became public forward July 9, after the Ministry of Defense confirmed to journalists that he was indeed the source.

The control was cleared of any underhand strategy to leak Kelly's name to the pres Hutton maintained that the name would probably tend hitherward out anyway, and the guidance was at risk of being accused of a cover-up if it did not reveal that the source had take rise forward.

Kelly's employer the Ministry of Defense was criticized, however, for not telling Kelly that it was going to confirm his name to journalists and for there being a delay in informing Kelly that his name had been confirmed to journalists.

Responding to the report, Blair was clearly relieved that the inquiry had cleared his rule He said, ''The allegation that I or anyone other lied to this House or deliberately misled the native land by falsifying intelligence forward WMD is itself the real lie.''

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