Interesting stuff.
Since they found yellow cake in Iraq after the war, the question of whether Saddam wanted to acquire yellow cake is somewhat irrelevant.
"Indeed, the yellow cake deal became one of the main early foundations for the US justification of an Iraq invasion. "
False statement right in the beginning of the article.
Der Spiegel is full of sh*t in every way, shape and form. BUSH NEVER MENTIONED NIGER OR THAT DAMN ITALIAN DOCUMENT.
Bush said Britain had learned of an attempt to buy yellowcake from AFRICA. And Britains intelligence had NOTHING to do with the forged document or Joe f***ing Wilson.
Problem is, as we all know, the documents were falsified. But where did they originate?<<<
Hmmm...Dan Rather maybe?
Utter nonsense. Russo Martino has admittd under oath he did this in the pay of French intelligence.
Le bump for the real story...
this is disinformation and counter spin to the revelation that the person who supplied the forgeries to the Italian security services has now come forward (this past week) and turned himself in to Italian authorities. He has admitted that he was a paid agent of the French DGSE and that they provided him the forgeries. He is saying he thought they were genuine.
Fitzgerald reportedly made a trip to Italy three weeks ago. If true, was it to show evidence of the French intelligence service's involvement in a plot to undermine the American government? A plot involving rogue elements in the CIA along with Joe Wilson and willing accomplices in the MSM?
If the above is true the French would have every incentive to eliminate their agent/dupe so that he can't implicate them, hence his coming forward as his only means of protecting himself.
The French had two motives for pulling off such an operation. First they were actively supporting Saddam and trying to stop the US from enforcing the peace agreement that ended GW1 and the subsequent UN resolutions. Second a French government owned company controls the yellow cake urnaium mining operations in Niger. There was already other intelligence that Saddam was working with this company to obtain yellow cake to replace the material under UN inspector seal so that he could restart his nuke program. The French created the forgeries and planted them in the intelligence community so that they could later be exposed as fakes. That would then discredit any other evidence as likely fake as well.
The elements within the CIA who mounted their end of the operation (e.g. sending a partisan opponent of President Bush to Niger) were desperate to deflect criticism for their pitiful failure for 30 years in dealing with islamic terrorism. They also have been in a war with Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld who are trying to clean house of the paper shufflers and clintonistas and this was a way to strike back.
The Plame / Wilson / Rove / Libby "scandal" is a bonus. That is unless Fitzgerald is actually investigating the underlying crime of treason exposed by the "leak" investigation.
Bits and pieces. That's how a good prosecutor builds a case. Wouldn't it be great if this is what Fitzgerald was doing? Imagine the rhetorical whiplash the MSM goons who have been praising Fitzgerald as "non partison" and "above politics" when they have to start attacking him. Of course, there are a few on the other side, such as Sean Hannity, who will have the opposite problem.
It would be fun.
'Read the original Italian'. . .bump. . .
Spiegel is merely reflecting the anti-war attitude - or bias - of the left-leaning chunk of German society. It has been shown that Saddam had hundreds of tons of uranium, both yellowcake and enriched. Where did that come from if not Africa? So are we to assume that Bush is a liar? And Joe Wilson evidently had his own axe to grind.
In brief, between 1999 and 2000 the French realize that someone is working abandoned mines to generate a brisk clandestine trade in uranium. Who is purchasing the smuggled uranium? The French are looking for an answer and Rocco Martino senses an opportunity.
But according to Joe Wilson in his infamous NYT op-ed:
Given the structure of the consortiums that operated the mines, it would be exceedingly difficult for Niger to transfer uranium to Iraq. Niger's uranium business consists of two mines, Somair and Cominak, which are run by French, Spanish, Japanese, German and Nigerian interests. If the government wanted to remove uranium from a mine, it would have to notify the consortium, which in turn is strictly monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Moreover, because the two mines are closely regulated, quasi-governmental entities, selling uranium would require the approval of the minister of mines, the prime minister and probably the president. In short, there's simply too much oversight over too small an industry for a sale to have transpired.
Well, well, what have we here?
The French are aware that uranium is being smuggled out of Niger by persons having access to abandoned uranium mines.
But Joe Wilson, our CIA's man in Niger, concludes, solely from conversations with some has-beens (remember, he was barred by our embassy from talking with current government officials and businessmen) while sipping mint tea by the hotel pool, that it would be impossible to smuggle uranium out of Iraq.
Joe Wilson is so certain of this that he publishes a NYT op-ed revealing the details of what should have been a top secret trip to Niger for the entire world to see.
Now it seems the French knew all along that smuggling of uranium was taking place from Niger. Another outright falsehood by Joe Wilson in his NYT op-ed.
Joe Wilson must surely go down as one of the biggest buffoons in the entire history of American intelligence agencies.