Independent inquiry into Gulf war illnesses

An unprecedented independent inquiry into whether more than 5,000 veterans of the first Gulf war became ill as a result of their service will be announced today. Lord Lloyd of Berwick, the former law lord, will conduct hearings in central London in the next few months and pose a political dilemma for the government which has refused to authorise a public inquiry for the past six years.

He is expected to invite current and former ministers, civil servants, health and scientific experts, as well as veterans and their families to establish the medical consequences of their service.

It is understood that Lord Lloyd, a law lord until 1999 and a former attorney general to the Prince of Wales, is determined to begin with no preconceptions about the veterans' claims that they were made ill, but believes an inquiry will help settle the long-standing sores between former service personnel and the Ministry of Defence.

"I was delighted to be invited to conduct an independent public inquiry into Gulf war illnesses. My intention is to open the inquiry as soon as possible and to hold hearings in public," he said yesterday. The arrangements for an inquiry have been prepared in confidence, leaving the government little time to decide how to react. Although Lord Lloyd will not have formal legal powers, ministers will have to consider how to respond to invitations to give evidence. Refusal to cooperate could be damaging politically.
A US congressional investigation has suggested that far more troops and civilians were exposed to chemical agents than was previously estimated by the Pentagon and the CIA.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/military/story/0,11816,1238167,00.html

Not that we don't already know the answer to whether the Gulf War caused these illnesses or not. What other conclusion can there be?

"Nope, just a coincidence".

:)