Downing Street Says » Lancet Report

Asked what the Prime Minister’s view was on the Lancet report, the PMOS said we made our view clear first in 2004. We had made it clear again, but much more important was the view of the Iraqi government, which, as recently as October, had said that the Lancet report numbers method was far from the correct. The Iraqi health ministry was the place to get the relevant figures. The problem with this was that they were using an extrapolation technique, from a relatively small sample, from an area of Iraq which was not representative of the country as a whole. We had questioned that technique from the beginning and we continued to do so. The Lancet figure was a greater order of magnitude than of any other figure. It was not one we believed to be anywhere near accurate. That was not in anyway to downplay the seriousness of the security situation in Iraq or lessons to be learned in the wake of the tragedy of the deaths that had been caused. It was important to remember that the deaths were being caused by terrorists, not by the Iraqi Government or the international force.

Asked what the Government’s estimated death toll was, the PMOS said it was up to the Iraqi government to issue the death toll was. What people should recognise was that there was a democratic sovereign Government which we supported. Asked if the Government’s problem was with the methodology used or exclusively with the sample taken, the PMOS said the problem was with the methodology. The Iraqi Government questioned the figures and people should address their question to them. Put that the Lancet team were saying they used an internationally used methodology that the British government had approved elsewhere, for example in Kosovo, Rwanda, the PMOS said the British Government believed that the figures should be taken from the Iraqi health ministry, not anyone else.

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Margaret Beckett launched the Government report on Human Rights today. Human Rights!!! And what about Guantanamo, which we initially condoned and then gave some meally mouthed condemnation (‘an anomaly’- T.Blair.). Bombing of civilians in Beirut? (deafening silence followed by ‘no politics of condemnation’- T.Blair). Half a million dead in Iraq (‘I’ll walk with George from this day on’ – T.Blair). Human rights indeed. I once voted for these reptiles to my eternal shame. When history finally cocks its leg on the Blair administration I hope I am there to cheer.
Comment by George N — 12 Oct 2006 on 9:01 pm | Link

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» Thursday, October 12, 2006

Lancet Report

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