Government may block inquiry into Iraqi arms

The British Government insisted yesterday it would find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq amid growing demands for an inquiry into claims that it misled people to justify an invasion.

When the Commons returns from its Easter break a week today, Labour MPs will demand an investigation by the Commons Intelligence and Security Committee into the intelligence given to the Government on Saddam Hussein's weapons programmes.

Tony Blair is under growing pressure on the issue because many Labour MPs who voted to support military action did so after assurances from ministers that there was cast-iron evidence that Iraq possessed the weapons.

Jeremy Corbyn, a left-wing MP who opposed the war, accused the United States and British governments of deception. "We were told it was a war about weapons of mass destruction but they have not been found," he said.

The Government will seek to block an inquiry, arguing that Britain and America should be given more time to track down chemical and biological weapons in Iraq.

One British official said: "We are 100 per cent confident that that the weapons are there and that in time we will be led to them. You only have to look at the issue of arms dumps in Northern Ireland. You need the active co-operation of people actively involved; you are unlikely to just chance upon the weapons."

Lewis Moonie, a Defence Minister, said he was "surprised" that Labour MPs were suggesting they or the Government had been duped by the security services. He insisted it was "far too early" to consider a parliamentary investigation into the intelligence on weapons of mass destruction.

Mr Moonie said there were "potentially thousands of sites in which these weapons could have been hidden", adding: "Saddam was a master of dissembling. It will take a great deal of time to uncover and don't forget we have only been in Iraq now for four weeks. I have no doubt whatsoever we will find them."

Alan Duncan, a Tory foreign affairs spokesman, said calls for an investigation were premature but added: "The people who are calling for such an inquiry do have a point, which is that the international community will not trust America, and potentially us, in future opinions if the reason given for the war doesn't turn out to have been valid."

The Government also faces pressure to allow the United Nations weapons inspectors to return to Iraq to verify any weapons found. The US wants an American and British task force to organise the searches, but some MPs are worried that evidence could be rigged to suit Western aims.

Robin Cook, who resigned from the Cabinet over the Iraq war, said at the weekend: "The war was justified on the fear that there may be weapons of mass destruction. I think it is crucial that the UN inspectors are brought in to validate any discovery that is made in Iraq, so that we have an independent, objective assessment."

Mr Blair will discuss Iraq and the Middle East peace process with Jose Maria Aznar, the Spanish Prime Minister, in London on Wednesday. He has invited Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, to Downing Street but no date has been fixed.