Intelligence backs claim Iraq tried to buy uranium

Financial Times ^ | 27 June 2004 | Mark Huband

[NavySEAL F-16]

Illicit sales of uranium from Niger were being negotiated with five states including Iraq at least three years before the US-led invasion, senior European intelligence officials have told the Financial Times.

Intelligence officers learned between 1999 and 2001 that uranium smugglers planned to sell illicitly mined Nigerien uranium ore, or refined ore called yellow cake, to Iran, Libya, China, North Korea and Iraq.

These claims support the assertion made in the British government dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programme in September 2002 that Iraq had sought to buy uranium from an African country, confirmed later as Niger. George W. Bush, US president, referred to the issue in his State of the Union address in January 2003.

[stylin19a]

can't be true. Richard Clark asked around and was told it didn't happen.

[GOPJ]

Good find. Thanks.

[BenLurkin]

"Illicit sales of uranium from Niger were being negotiated with five states including Iraq at least three years before the US-led invasion,"
Bump

[pierrem15]

So I guess Joe Wilson was really just as incompetent as the rest of the crew at CIA?

When is Pres. Bush going to go through the Bureau and CIA with fire and sword the way he needs to?

[oceanview]

its not incompetents - its a shadow government operating with their own agenda inside these agencies.

[Thom Pain]

Senator Daschle was deeply saddened.

[Humidston]

HEY JOE WILSON - CLEAN UP ON AISLE 2!!

And while you're at it, tell your wife the jig is up!

[evad]

When is Pres. Bush going to go through the Bureau and CIA with fire and sword the way he needs to?

It begins Wednesday, Nov 3, 2004.

[RW1974]

I guess we can expect The New York Times to run this on the front page? Right? Yeah, right.

[Defender2]

If this is not in Breaking News, It Should Be!!!!

Thanks for posting this NEWS, NavySEAL F-16!!!!

D2

[The Bandit]

The link is a little messed up.

[swilhelm73]

Didn't Wilson admit that Iraq had tried to buy uranium from Niger in 98 or 99 in his book anyway?

[randog]

Interesting that all this info is coming out now--confirmation of strong Iraq/AQ ties; Russians admitting that Hussein was plotting attacks against the US; evidence of Iraq involvement in 9-11 starting to show up; WMD popping up all over Iraq; now this.

Precursor to the October Surprise, Bush's biggest rope-a-dope ever?

[Shermy]

Joseph Wilson, Niger, Uranium and Bush’s Famous Sixteen Words: Evolution of a Confused Story

September 18, 2003
Wilson gives an interview to the TalkingPointsMemo.com

“...TPM: And, just to be clear, at this time (--when he traveled to Niger in 2002--), you hadn't seen these documents that turned out to be forgeries?
WILSON: No, I hadn't. I had just been briefed on a memorandum of agreement covering the sale. Now, my understanding is that there are all sorts of other documents that have since come to light and Andrea Mitchell showed me some documents which I had not seen and frankly, I did not have my glasses, so I didn't even get a chance to read them, and I have not seen them since. The uranium participation in this consortium is done through a parastatal, which means that the Niger government owns the corporate identity that is a member of the consortium.”

How come Andrea Mitchell knew before us?

[b4its2late]

Wilson is a clymer, nothing more, nothing less.

[Mister Baredog]

Richard Clark asked around and was told it didn't happen.

I thought it was Joe(who's gonna play me in the movie) Wilson?

[oceanview]

this Niger stories would go over the head of most americans.

we need two rabbits to be pulled from the hat - Osama, or a WMD stockpile in an underground bunker someplace.

[stylin19a]

oh duh me. yeah ...joe wilson

[Humidston]

No kidding! I got this:

HTTP Status 500 - 199<br><br>java.lang.ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException: 199<br> at org.apache.catalina.util.RequestUtil.parseParameters(RequestUtil.java:539)<br> at .....etc, etc.