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Britain's Tony Blair says he'd rebut Iraq War report if he's found to be in the wrong

By Shawn Price
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair told a BBC interviewer he might not accept the findings of the upcoming report on his government's actions in the Iraq War if the report is highly critical of him. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair told a BBC interviewer he might not accept the findings of the upcoming report on his government's actions in the Iraq War if the report is highly critical of him. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

LONDON, May 30 (UPI) -- Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has implied he will rebut the conclusions of the Chilcot inquiry if it accuses him of committing Britain to the invasion of Iraq before he told Parliament or the public.

Blair said on BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday that he made his position very clear in the run-up to the Iraq War in 2003, but wasn't sure he would accept all the findings on what is expected to be harsh criticism of him in the final report of the probe into the British government's handling of the war.

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"It is hard to say that when I haven't seen it," Blair said. "But I think when you go back and you look at what was said, I don't think anyone can seriously dispute that I was making it very clear what my position was."

Veteran British politician Sir John Chilcot will release his long-awaited report on July 6. Chilcot's hearings focused on evidence suggesting Blair had committed British troops to U.S. President George W. Bush's plan to invade Iraq, even though he publicly said he had not yet decided what action to take.

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Current leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn repeated the warning he's made for a year he will call for Blair to be investigated for war crimes if the Chilcot report finds Blair broke any laws.

Over six years in the making, the report will be "absolutely brutal" on Blair, ex-foreign secretary Jack Straw and former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove, a former government minister told the Sunday Times.

Corbyn said Blair will have to speak the public after the report is released.

"I think it was an illegal war, I'm confident about that, indeed [former U.N. Secretary General] Kofi Annan confirmed it was an illegal war," Corbyn said. "Therefore he has to explain to that."

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