Blair faces Iraqi inquiry Jan. 21

LONDON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- A British panel examining the country's role in the Iraq war announced former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is to testify Jan. 21 for a second time.

London is investigating its role in the Iraq war from the planning stages to the departure of British forces in 2009.

Inquiry Chairman John Chilcot said he was summoning Blair and other officials for a second round of questioning to provide additional details.

Jack Straw, the former foreign secretary who helped make the case for the invasion alongside U.S. diplomats at the United Nations in 2002, was asked to return to the inquiry as well.

London's Sky News reports that Chilcot is possibly concerned about gaps in the investigation.

Peter Goldsmith, who served as the attorney general under Tony Blair during his administration, was asked by the inquiry to submit written evidence, Sky News adds.

Goldsmith last year testified that he told British authorities in a 2002 letter that invading Iraq on the premise of self-defense and humanitarianism was "no basis" for military action.

When asked why the government didn't welcome his assessment, he replied that was a question for Blair.

U.S. President George W. Bush led the push to use military force to disarm Iraq in 2003. Blair told the inquiry in 2009 that if disarming Iraq led to the removal of Saddam Hussein from power, then "so be it."

Chilcot is expected to release his report on his panel's findings this year.