Iraq Inquiry Report Out 'As Soon As Possible'

The chairman of the inquiry into the Iraq War has said he is unable to say when his long-awaited report will be published.

Sir John Chilcot faced questions from MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee about why the document has yet to be released.

He said the aim is to release it "as soon as we possibly can".

The draft report is said to be around one million words in length, and more than £9m has been spent on the inquiry.

The inquiry, which was set up in 2009, heard evidence from its last witness in 2011.

Concluding the public evidence sessions four years ago, Sir John said it would take "some months" to write the conclusions".

David Cameron is among those who have expressed frustration at the delay, and last week some MPs demanded that the existing text and key evidence be handed over to be published immediately.

In his opening statement, Sir John said: "My committee and I want, and intend, to deliver our report to the Prime Minister as soon as we possibly can.

"But as I said to the Prime Minister ... I see no realistic prospect of doing so before the General Election.

"We have to maintain the principles by which we have operated throughout: fairness, thoroughness and impartiality.

"It is our duty to deliver a report which gives the Government, Parliament, the public, and particularly all those who have been deeply affected by events in Iraq, the answers they deserve."

He told MPs part of the reason for the delay is the Maxwellisation Process - the practice of giving those due to be criticised in a report time to respond.

Sir John defended the time it has taken for the report to be finalised, saying it was a "massive task" of "constructing a reliable account" based on information that was "interlinked by a web of advice, discussion and debate".

"Quite difficult exchanges" about the release of Government documents had also held up publication, he said.

The finger for the delay has often been pointed at Tony Blair, who was Prime Minister at the time of the conflict.

But Mr Blair has repeatedly insisted that he has nothing to do it, and Sir John told MPs: "As of today I don't think anyone involved in the Maxwellisation process is seeking to spin it out."

Sir John quipped that he had "tried very hard not to rue" the day he accepted the job.

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Gallery: Protests At Tony Blair's Chilcot Appearances In 2010 And 2011

Protesters gather outside Westminster's Queen Elizabeth II building for Tony Blair's appearances before the Chilcot Inquiry in 2010 and 2011

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