[Reactionary]

Let's have an educated guess, shall we?

The French were behind it with the help of the wonderful Italians.

What do you want to bet Ms. Plame had something to do with it? How about dear Mr. Wilson? After all, there are quite a few (ahem) French connections there.

[ScaniaBoy]

Background info on the French DGSE and its previous #2 boss. Alain Chouet:

France's DGSE in Full Disarray

Note that this happened in 2001 - 2002. There was a large civil war inside the French intelligence agencies, for and against the sitting president. Lots of things could have been going on without the political masters knowing anything. (Good possibility for Chirac to claim deniability.)

Maybe the CIA caught the French disease.

;)

[jonno]

bump

[mosquitobite]

the new investigation is due to pressure from a number of democrat senators

True?

[piasa]

...Implicitly the reference is to the French connection, or more precisely to the results obtained by SISMI during the counterespionage activities that saw Rocco Martino in the staring role. The «postman» of the false dossier regarding the sale of uranium to Iraq by Niger was paid by the 007’s from the Dgse in Paris.

«The stance of the Fbi – observed an Italian official – represents another significant example of how much our work is appreciated», work for which we have «a lot of optimism in regards to the possibility of identifying as soon as possible those responsible, the investigation is also aimed at ascertaining who, and for what motives, tried in vain to place the blame for the affair on the Italian authorities».

The objective of the FBI might have radically changed following the investigation carried out by SISMI and the recent declarations made by the ex number two of the French intelligence, Alain Chouet. In recent declarations Chouet denied a direct relationship between the DGSE and Rocco Martino thus inferring that the American authorities lied in regards to the Niger letters.

On July 20 the Director of the FBI, Robert S.Mueller III, wrote a letter to General Pollari in which he expressed the will for long term collaboration and in which he excluded Rome’s secret services and government from any role in the Nigergate affair.

Mueller expressed his «highest appreciation» for having been able to consult all of SISMI’s reports and paperwork and for having been able to talk to Italian officials. «This helped the Fbi to reach - wrote Muller – the proof that our theory was correct and that the affair was based upon personal profit excluding the theory of a disinformation campaign against the government of the United States». So no Italian conspiracy. So if Rome has nothing to do with it where are the FBI going with the new investigations? Given that the FBI and SISMI will be working together the work already done by SISMI will be of enormous support, in particular that regarding the results of the counterespionage against Rocco Martino and the Dgse.