BRITAIN: Mr John Scarlett, the chairman of Britain's Joint Intelligence Committee who gave evidence to the Hutton Inquiry yesterday, is a former MI6 official who would normally have remained unknown, existing deep within the shadows of the security world.
The public spotlight is unfamiliar territory for Mr Scarlett, who spent 30 years working for the Secret Intelligence Service - more commonly known as MI6 - ending up as one of its five directors.
A fluent Russian speaker, he joined MI6 in 1971 and during his early career served in Nairobi, Moscow and Paris. MI6 operates outside Britain, whereas its sister organisation MI5 specialises in internal UK security.
His name first made the headlines in September 2001, when he was appointed chairman of the JIC, an instrument of the Cabinet Office whose function is to co-ordinate information from across the intelligence community and prepare reports for the prime minister.
He started the job just a week before the al-Qaeda terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on September 11th, 2001. In his JIC role, he provides Mr Blair with a weekly assessment of available information and advises the Cabinet Secretary on the funding needs of the intelligence agencies.
Mr Scarlett was responsible for overseeing last September's dossier on Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction.
Mr Scarlett (55) is married with three daughters and a son, was educated at Epsom College and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he obtained a first in history. He lists his interests in Who's Who as history, medieval churches and family. - (Reuters)