British Intelligence Official to Retire

British Intelligence Official to Retire

LONDON -- Britain's foreign intelligence chief will retire next year but the government said Saturday his decision was unrelated to the dossiers that allegedly exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein to justify the war in Iraq.

Sir Richard Dearlove will leave his post "on completion of his normal tour of office," the Foreign Office said in a statement. "This is in no way connected to events relating to Iraq."

Dearlove, 58, will step down from the post in August 2004.

The Observer newspaper suggested Saturday that Dearlove was leaving his post early because of a rift between the government and the foreign intelligence service MI6 over the use of intelligence on Iraqi weapons programs.

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