http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/8433370/uk-agreed-to-shield-us-interests-in-iraq-probeleak/LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's government gave secret assurances to Washington it would limit the scope of an inquiry into the Iraq war to protect U.S. interests, according to diplomatic messages leaked by a whistle-blowing website.
U.S. embassy cables obtained by WikiLeaks reported a British official, Jon Day, as telling U.S. officials in 2009 that Britain had "put measures in place to protect your interests" during the inquiry.
The documents were posted at
http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cables/2009/09/09LONDON2198.html.The inquiry was set up in 2009 by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown to learn lessons from the Iraq conflict, the most controversial episode in the 10-year premiership of Tony Blair.
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The protection mentioned by Day in the leaked cables would be for U.S. intelligence documents supplied before the Iraq war. They could not be brought to light because of the damage that would do to the Anglo-American alliance, they showed officials as saying.
The Sept 22 cable reported a meeting held in London earlier that month between U.S. officials including Under Secretary of State Ellen Tauscher and then British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and several senior officials including Day, the Ministry of Defence Director General for Security Policy.
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Let's keep looking forward, Mr. President. Rest assured that no one will look back too far. But that was the deal, wasn't it, Mr. President? Madame Secretary?