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paperjam,
I know you've put a LOT of work into pursuing your theory that this was all tied to oil for food and french desire to discredit the WMD supposition for the US ging to war on Iraq.

I have a much simpler theory which I wonder if you have considered...that the french planted these forgeries to stink-up bona fide intelligence that a Nigerien yellowcake transfer to Iraq was being planned.

In order to effect such a transfer to a rogue nation, the french would have to "cook the books" on the output of their uranium mines in Niger, since the volume and destination of exported uranium is ostensibly under UN monitoring ....as well as under the monitoring of French authorities ...some of whom who may not have suspected the existence of a covert deal....

Much has been made about the fact that a true Nigerien ore sale to Iraq would require signatories to a valid export agreement (this is one of Joe Wilson's points). Who is to say the Iraqis in 1999 (perhaps with the help of real or rogue french intelligence assets) didn't simply buy the cooperation of the President of Niger...the one who came into power after his predecessor was "assassinated" two months after an Iraqi delegation visited Niamey in 1999...and made him an offer he couldn't refuse?

Remember that Joe Wilson also visited Niger in 1999...concerning "uranium matters" as he has stated...and supposedly in cooperation with the CIA as recommended by his wife...

Niger was a busy place in 1999...the Iraqis were there, AQ Khan (maker of Pakistan's bomb and grand master proliferator to the world's wannabe nuc club rogues) was there....I've seen at least one report that even the Iranians were there.

And Joe Wilson went here...Joe Wilson who in 1998, newly married and with twins expected, retired from his Foreign Sevice job after only 1 year in a DC desk job, and founded his own "consulting" business for investors seeking advice on doing business in Africa.....JCWilson Ventures International

Back in Niger, procurers of uranium in a covert transaction would also have to arrange a shipment of Nigerien ore in a nefarious route which would complicate discovery of the actual end user....Benin has been mentioned...could Gabonese ports have been used? Gabon's uranium ore mines were pretty much tapped out, but what about infrastructure to haul, store, and ship ore?

Remember that Iraqi nuclear scientists have been reported to have engaged in joint projects in Algeria, Libya, and perhaps elsewhere.

So if "off the books" Nigerien uranium was intended for Iraqi use, it could have been intended to ship out for Portugal or "France" from a warehouse in Benin...or Gabon...or Timbuktu...then "disappear" or end up in another port, enroute to an enrichment facility in a 3rd country in Africa or Asia.

So who is to say the French did not create forged intelligence to "throw off" credible intelligence about an actual covert plan to subvert African uranium ore to a rogue nation...for huge profits perhaps greased by oil-for-food money.

Sorry but I put the motive to knock the legs out from an American war on Iraq...as a desirable but secondary goal of all this imbroglio. Bush had full intnet and copiuous motive to topple Hussein without any Iraqi uranium-ore-seeking activity.

I would love to see an investigation of Joe Wilson's actual business activities in Africa and the Middle East to see if he was unwittingly or willingly embroiled in this and to determine the involvement of his wife #2 with French intelligence.