Cameron Says ‘Not in Control’ of UK Inquiry Into Iraq War

The so-called Chilcot Inquiry, a report on the UK role in the Iraq War, will not be made public before next year, as promised earlier by the UK prime minister. It details a phone conversation between then-US President George W. Bush and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair that took place shortly before the operation began.

MOSCOW, December 10 (Sputnik) – British Prime Minister David Cameron said he was in the dark about the date, when the long-overdue report on the nation's role in the Iraq War, known as the Chilcot Inquiry, would be published, a statement posted Wednesday on the UK government website read.

"On the Chilcot Inquiry, nothing has changed in terms of my view, but I'm not in control of when this report is published. It's an independent report," Cameron said at a joint press conference with the Turkish prime minister in Ankara.

The announcement raised concerns that a Privy Counsellor Sir John Chilcot's report, which is already four years overdue, will not be made public before next year, as promised earlier by the UK prime minister.

According to British media, the report includes numerous minutes of UK government meetings, and details a phone conversation between then-US President George W. Bush and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair that took place shortly before the operation began.

Blair, a Labor prime minister, was the one who sent UK troops to Iraq in 2003. It is widely believed that the report can break the reputation of UK's Labor party just months ahead of the general elections in May 2015.

But Cameron said Tuesday the release of the Chilcot Inquiry was entirely up to the board of investigators, who conducted their study between 2009 and 2011. The million-word report was due to be released to the public in 2014.