Last update - 00:00 18/07/2007
Winograd panel likely to delay final war report until next year
By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent
The Winograd Committee investigating the Second Lebanon War is likely to delay the release of its final report, which had been expected in October, by at least a few months, after it agreed to warn any individual who may be criticized in the report in advance.
The fact that the committee has agreed to warn the individuals in advance was evident in a letter sent Wednesday from the chairman of the committee, retired judge Eliyahu Winograd, to the Military Advocate General's chief defense attorney, Colonel Orna David.
The warnings, which may come in the form of official letters, are likely to initiate a several-month process that will delay the reports release.
In response Haaretz's exclusive report, the committee issued a statement Wednesday evening confirming that it will in fact take care to "allow all those who may be adversely affected by the report to know how he may be affected, and to present arguments before [the committee] regarding the effect [on him], if this has not been done to date."
The committee nonetheless stressed that "never has an assessment been made regarding when the final report will be published."
"[The committee] cannot assess when this will be, as it has yet to complete the stage of examining and analyzing the large amount of material in order to identify who may be adversely affected and how," it continued.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert faced down growing calls for his resignation following the release of committee's partial report in late April, including from Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. In addition, Defense Minister Ehud Barak has repeatedly demanded that Olmert step down by the publication of the final report.
David has been corresponding with the Winograd Committee for the past few weeks regarding safeguarding the rights of officers who may be criticized by the report.
Recently, David threatened to petition the High Court of Justice, demanding the committee reveal any plans to issue the warning letters to individuals who may be affected by the publication of its final report.
The panel was concerned that if it would issue warning letters, such an action would greatly lengthen its work, and could possibly postpone the publication of its final conclusions.
In his letter Wednesday, Winograd wrote that, "In the partial report we clarified the way we see the principles of natural rights and the correct way they need to be interpreted in this context. It is obvious that we will activate these principles for whoever might be criticized, in a way that will enable him to present his arguments before the final version of the report is written and published."
"Appropriate messages will be released when the committee reaches a decision that will allow for the first identification of who may be adversely affected by the report and in what manner," the letter continued. "In the coming days, we are diligently working on studying and analyzing the massive material that has been collected, in order to make these decisions."
The judge, however, refrained from referring explicitly to "warning letters." Legal sources told Haaretz that this is the actual meaning of his letter, even if he did not specifically label it as such.
The letter does not detail which natural rights the committee will safeguard or allow. For instance, the committee may not allow the officers to review the evidence in question, cross-examine witnesses, or submit arguments to the committee, but merely to review the evidence, which was David's initial demand.