[Media-watch] MOD to open ITN Iraq inquiry

[William Dinan]

MoD opens ITN Iraq inquiry 

Ciar Byrne
The Guardian, Tuesday May 27, 2003 

 The Ministry of Defence has finally bowed to calls for a formal
investigation into the disappearance of two ITN journalists, Fred Nerac and
Hussein Osman, more than two months after they went missing in southern
Iraq.

Neither has been seen since March 22, when they disappeared in an incident
near Az Zubayr in which ITN correspondent Terry Lloyd was killed.

ITN accused the military of a cover-up after it refused to provide an
official account of the incident, despite evidence that US and British units
were on the spot.

On May 9, the defence secretary, Geoff Hoon, told ITN he could only launch a
formal investigation if there was evidence a war crime had been committed.

But today he said fresh evidence has come to light suggesting this was the
case, as he confirmed to ITN that a royal military police investigation into
the disappearance of French cameraman Nerac and Lebanese translator Osman is
now under way.

As it is a criminal investigation, the MoD has said it will not be able to
provide any further information until its inquiry is complete.

"We welcome Mr Hoon's decision to give us the help we so desperately need to
find out what happened to Fred and Hussein," said the ITN chairman, Mark
Wood.

"We have found out a good deal ourselves but we need the skills and
experience that only the royal military police can offer to conduct a full
and formal investigation. We will, of course, provide the MoD with any
assistance and information they may need from us."

The move follows repeated calls from ITN and the families of the two men for
help from the British and US military in tracing the men.

Nerac's wife, Fabienne, has given numerous press conferences and interviews
in her quest to discover what has happened to her husband, including
confronting the US secretary of state, Colin Powell, in Brussels.

Mr Powell gave her a "personal promise" that US authorities would
investigate the matter. She has also received the full backing of the French
president, Jacques Chirac. 

However, despite travelling to Britain to meet MoD officials last month,
there has been little movement until today's announcement.