Prime minister may open war hearings

LONDON, June 19 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, amid fierce criticism, has signaled he may reverse a decision to close hearings on the buildup to the war in Iraq.

After word spread this week that the government planned to hold the hearings behind closed doors, Brown's spokesman backed off from that position, The (London) Telegraph reported Friday.

"The question of whether some of this might be in public has never been an issue of theology for us," The Telegraph quoted the spokesman saying.

Former Prime Minister John Major and Robin Butler, who headed the last war inquiry, denounced the decision to close hearings, the Scotsman reported, and Major called for open hearings with witnesses testifying under oath.

"The government's decision to hold the inquiry in private is inexplicable, not in the least in its own interests," Major said. "The (closed hearing) arrangements proposed run the risk of being viewed skeptically by some and denounced as a whitewash by others."

Some senior military officials also have called for open hearings.

The Times of London reported Monday that Brown had said the hearings would be in secret to allow for a full investigation with candid accounts and to ensure national security.