Q&A: The Butler inquiry
 |  Lord Butler has been looking at intelligence on Iraq. |
| |
|  VIDEO |
 Washington and London have both faced investigations into intelligence failures before the war in Iraq.
|
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The British government and its secret services face criticism when the Butler inquiry reports on Wednesday into the intelligence behind the case for war in Iraq.
Q. When and why was it set up?
A. UK Prime Minister Tony Blair commissioned former cabinet secretary Lord Butler in February to investigate the intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, following the failure to find any such arms.
Q. Didn't the Hutton inquiry cover the same ground?
A. The Hutton inquiry examined only the circumstances surrounding the death of scientist David Kelly, who killed himself after being named as the source of a press report that the government "sexed up" the threat from Iraq. The inquiry found Blair had not exaggerated the case for war.
Q. Has the U.S. seen similar inquiries?
A. U.S. President George W. Bush set up a bipartisan commission on pre-Iraq war intelligence in February. It reported on July 9 that U.S. intelligence agencies exaggerated the threat from Iraq's weapons, but absolved the Bush administration of charges it put pressure on analysts.
Q. What is Butler's remit?
A. The committee was asked to make recommendations for the future gathering, evaluation and use of intelligence about weapons of mass destruction. The remit was to investigate the accuracy of intelligence on Iraq's weapons up to March 2003 and any discrepancies between it and what has been found since the war. Butler had access to intelligence reports and interviewed the secret services, ministers and civil servants in private.
Q. How is the inquiry viewed in the UK?
A. The two main opposition parties do not support the inquiry, arguing it will examine only "structures, systems and processes," and not the political decision to invade Iraq.
