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FEBRUARY? 2003 : (VOA REPORTS THAT NIGER RECENTLY AGREED TO SELL IRAQ YELLOWCAKE URANIUM; A FORMER NIGERIEN OFFICIAL DENIES IT SAYING NO SUCH DEAL COULD BE MADE WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE FRENCH-OWNED COMPANY COGENA) The Voice of America last month [] reported Niger supplied Iraq with a key ingredient for its nuclear program two decades ago and more recently agreed to resume those shipments. U-S officials said that Niger signed an agreement in 2000 to sell Iraq 500 metric tons of a concentrated form of uranium known as yellowcake.
However, Niger's former minister of Mining and Energy [Yhaya Barre (yah-HIGH-yah BAR-eh)] later responded by telling V-O-A the charges were "lies." The official said in an interview that it is the Niger government's practice to check any potential buyers of uranium against the so-called "red list" of the International Atomic Energy Agency -- adding if any nation is on the list, there would be no deal. In addition, he said any such deal could not be made without the knowledge of the French-owned company Cogema, which operates uranium mining in Niger.- VOA News Report, 3/4/03 , via http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2003/03/mil-030304-2a189293.htm.