The head of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove, secretly briefed senior BBC executives on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction before a TV program, which claimed the British cabinet had 'sexed up' part of the evidence.
Sources have told The Observer that Britain's Secret Intelligence Service boss suggested that Syria and Iran posed a greater threat to world security than Iraq.
At one meeting with a senior BBC executive, sources said Dearlove made it clear that Iraq was not viewed by the intelligence services as the primary threat.
A minute taken of the meeting, on which The Observer has been briefed, Dearlove was asked about the greatest threats to world security. He said that on an analysis of the danger from weapons of mass destruction and terrorism, Iraq was not the priority.
Asked whether Iran and Syria posed a greater threat, Dearlove 'appeared to assent', the newspaper said on Sunday. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
