Roundup: Britain likely to publish Iraq Inquiry in June or July next year

Britain is likely to publish the findings of its long-awaited Iraq Inquiry, in June or July of 2016, Chair of the Inquiry Sir John Chilcot said in a letter published Thursday to British Prime Minister David Cameron.

The letter, sent to Cameron on Wednesday, set out a timetable for completion of the Inquiry's report, which was established by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2009 to investigate Britain's involvement in the Iraq War.

The letter said that the Inquiry expects to be able to complete the text of its report in the week of April 18 in 2016, when confidential access will be given to a team of officials for national security checking before its publication.

"I entirely understand that a checking process is necessary and is normal procedure in Inquiries which have considered a large volume of sensitive material" to ensure that the government meets its obligations with respect to human rights and national security, Chilcot wrote in the letter.

"The very considerable size of our report -- more than two million words in total -- means that it will take some weeks to prepare for printing and publication... We will complete that work as swiftly as possible," Chilcot explained.

"I consider that once National Security checking has been completed it should be possible to agree with you a date for publication in June or July 2016," he added.

He concluded his letter by saying: "My colleagues and I remain committed to producing a report that will meet the very wide ranging terms of reference we were given and reflect the considerable investment of time and effort by all involved."

Replying to the letter, Cameron said he was "disappointed" that Chilcot would not be able to publish the Iraq Inquiry report until summer.

"Whilst it is welcome of course that there is now a clear end in sight for your Inquiry, I am disappointed -- and I know the families of those who served in Iraq will also be disappointed -- that you do not believe it will be possible logistically to publish your report until early summer," he said in a letter.

"I recognize that you have a significant task, but would welcome any further steps you can take to expedite the final stages of the Inquiry," the prime minister added.

Cameron offered to provide "further assistance" and additional resources to support and speed up the publication process.

The publication of the final conclusions of the Iraq inquiry has been delayed for several years so far.

Last week, Britain's former Prime Minister Tony Blair apologized for "mistakes" in the planning of the Iraq war, admitting that "the intelligence we received was wrong."

The former prime minister, who started the Iraq War with former U.S. President George W. Bush, conceded in an interview with CNN that there were "elements of truth" in the view that the 2003 invasion of Iraq was the "principle cause" of the rise of the Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS.

However, Blair also said: "I find it hard to apologize for removing Saddam. I think, even from today in 2015, it is better that he's not there than that he is there."

In response to Blair's partial apology, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has described it as a "spin operation."

"The Blair spin operation begins but the country still awaits the truth. The delay to Chilcot report is a scandal," she commented on her Twitter account. Endit