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An independent inquiry into Britain\'s role in Iraq war will begin public hearings on Tuesday that will culminate in the awaited testimony from former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Military chiefs, diplomats, ministers and senior officials will all be called before the five-member committee headed by retired civil servant Sir John Chilcot.
John Scarlett, the former head of foreign intelligence service MI6 will be among the first to give evidence.
Former UN secretary general Kofi Annan and former UN weapons inspector Hans Blix are also reportedly on the list of witnesses. However, Blair\'s evidence is likely to be the highlight of the Iraq Inquiry, after he backed a US plan to send 45,000 British troops into Iraq that went against strong opposition from within Europe and at home, and was made in the absence of explicit UN approval.
Sir John Chilcot said the inquiry was not a \"whitewash\" but that his final report would not shy away from heavy criticism.
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