The British Government is working to declassify more than 100 secret documents detailing discussions that took place between former Prime ministers Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and President George W. Bush in the run-up to the Iraq war. The UK Independent reported Monday.

The decision will give the green light for the Chilcot Iraq Inquiry to publish an account of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the military action and the aftermath, covering an eight year period between 2001 and 2009.

Private notes from Mr. Blair to Mr. Bush, records of telephone conversations and meetings, as well as up to 200 minutes of cabinet-level discussions are to be published in the new year, according to The Independent. The documents are likely to be made available to the public, either by the Government or on the Iraq Inquiry website.

“The intention is to be as open as possible,” a British government source told The Independent. “There is an ongoing process of declassification, which is attempting to strike a careful balance to ensure that you are not setting a legal precedent that could oblige you to publish other documents in the future or damage national security.”

The Iraq Inquiry was set up by Prime Minister Gordon Brown 5 years ago.

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)