Aaronivitch 'fesses up
There was always the possibility that David Aaranovitch's column of a fortnight ago, "Why we weren't lied to", noted on this site here, was written in rather a hurry.Yesterday in the Observer we get an apology. It appears when Aaronovitch said this bit,
But around the same time, Kelly had had a conversation with Newsnight reporter Susan Watts. This conversation was taped. Kelly told Watts: 'You have to remember I'm not part of the intelligence community.' Watts asked him about WMD. 'My own perception is, yes, they have weapons,' said Kelly. 'A "clear and imminent threat?"' 'Yes.'
It was rather misleading. In fact as he confesses here after having it pointed out by a reader, in fact Kelly's meaning was the exact opposite.
David Kelly: 'My own perception is, yes, they have weapons, but actually not at this point in time ... I think that was the real concern that everyone had; it was not so much what they have now but what they would have in the future. But that unfortunately wasn't expressed strongly in the dossier because that takes away the case for war to a certain extent.'
Watts: 'A "clear and present, imminent threat"?'
Kelly: 'Yes.'
There is no question clearly of Aaranovitch deliberately trying to mislead. It turned out to be wrong, but it was not false. Nevertheless, it cannot be wished away in the light of a successful colun about George Galloway today. I - as a supporter of David Aaranovitch- will never believe another thing that I am told by him, or the Observer. And, more to the point, neither will anyone else. Will that do?
posted by Matthew @ 3/29/2005 08:17:00 AM
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