Wilson's reports to the CIA added to the evidence that Iraq may have tried to buy uranium in Niger, although officials at the State Department remained highly skeptical, the report said.
Wilson said that a former prime minister of Niger, Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, was unaware of any sales contract with Iraq, but said that in June 1999 a businessman approached him, insisting that he meet with an Iraqi delegation to discuss "expanding commercial relations" between Niger and Iraq -- which Mayaki interpreted to mean they wanted to discuss yellowcake sales. A report CIA officials drafted after debriefing Wilson said that "although the meeting took place, Mayaki let the matter drop due to UN sanctions on Iraq."
According to the former Niger mining minister, Wilson told his CIA contacts, Iraq tried to buy 400 tons of uranium in 1998.
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Did that last comment make it into Joe Wilson's book or his NYT op-ed last summer?
No, but as my link to Tenet's statement in post #129 shows, George Tenet immediately pointed it out (though in slightly vaguer fashion--but still).
Further, when the point was made that Bush had referenced "British Intelligence" in the infamous "Sixteen Words", then British Intelligence came under attack and Jack Straw (from Britain) also cited Wilson's earlier trip and "findings". The media, as you can see, simply decided to ignore this---but this has been out there from the beginning.
July 13, 2003
Excerpts:
In a letter to Donald Anderson, chairman of the House of Commons foreign affairs select committee dated Friday but made public by the UK Foreign Office and shown to CNN Saturday, Straw said: "I am writing to deal with two points relating to the statement in the government's September Iraq dossier that 'Iraq has sought the supply of significant quantities of uranium from Africa.'
"First, press reporting has claimed that this statement is contradicted by the report of a U.S. envoy, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who visited Niger in early 2002 to investigate the subject on behalf of the CIA.
"I want to make clear that neither I nor, to the best of my knowledge, any UK officials were aware of Ambassador Wilson's visit until reference first appeared in the press, shortly before your hearings last month. In response to our questions, the U.S. authorities have confirmed that Ambassador Wilson's report was not shared with the UK.
"We have now seen a detailed account of Ambassador Wilson's report. It does indeed describe the denials of Niger government officials in early 2002 that a contract had been concluded for the sale of yellowcake (uranium oxide) to Iraq.
"But, as CNN have reported, Ambassador Wilson's report also noted that in 1999 an Iraqi delegation sought the expansion of trade links with Niger -- and that former Niger government officials believed that this was in connection with the procurement of yellowcake.
"Uranium is Niger's main export. In other words, this element of Ambassador Wilson's report supports the statement in the government's dossier.
"Second, the media have reported that the CIA expressed reservations to us about this element of the September dossier. This is correct.
"However, the U.S. comment was unsupported by explanation and UK officials were confident that the dossier's statement was based on reliable intelligence which we had not shared with the U.S. (for good reasons, which I have given your committee in private session). A judgment was therefore made to retain it.
~snip~
I have long been curious what their "good reasons" were. Obviously they didn't trust someone or something....hmmmmmmm
According to the former Niger mining minister, Wilson told his CIA contacts, Iraq tried to buy 400 tons of uranium in 1998.
Thanks for posting this great find!