Clueless Joe Wilson

Slate ^ | 17 Apr 06 | Christopher Hitchens

[rellimpank]

Nobody appears to dispute what I wrote in last week's Slate to the effect that in February 1999, Saddam Hussein dispatched his former envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, and former delegate to non-proliferation conferences at the United Nations, to Niger. Wissam al-Zahawie was, at the time of his visit, the accredited ambassador of Iraq to the Vatican: a more senior post than it may sound, given that the Vatican was almost the only full European embassy that Iraq then possessed. And nobody has proposed an answer to my question: Given the fact that Niger is synonymous with uranium (and was Iraq's source of "yellowcake" in 1981), and given that Zahawie had been Iraq's main man in nuclear diplomacy, what innocent explanation can be found for his trip

[UCANSEE2]

Well, Joe didn't lie. He said Niger didn't sell Yellowcake to Saddam, and he was correct. Niger sold it to Libya, and Libya sold it to Saddam. Almudi handled the Libyan part of the deal, and made a ton of dough.

The 'fake' documents that have been discussed (from the French) are all a part of the coverup.

[Laverne]

Pinging for interest.

[okie01]

So, where did Libya get its yellowcake?

From Niger, of course. Thanks to...

a. French corruption or...

b. French incompetence.

Take your pick...

[YaYa123]

http://townhall.com/opinion/columns/johnleo/2006/04/17/193811.html

"It turns out Bush was right about Iraq's quest for uranium
Apr 17, 2006
by John Leo"

[mass55th]

Thanks YaYa. That's another excellent Hitchens article. Rush said that Hitchens was doing some great work on the Niger/Uranium connection. I'm glad to see he is being relentless in his pursuit of Wilson. Clueless Joe thought he was being smart starting this whole mess. He obviously didn't know how it could backfire on him.

[Fedora]

Glad to see Hitchens is staying on that. Wilson cannot sustain serious crossexamination, and has only survived this long because the press has not subjected him to it.

Good point on Baghdad Bob in #9. He did not become an object of caricature until the Western world was exposed to his transparent absurdity firsthand in 2003. But before that any message he conveyed on Saddam's behalf through diplomatic channels would've been regarded quite seriously by officials of other nations.

[6SJ7]

Joe's company brokers sales of Yellowcake ore for the President of Niger.

Bingo! The tumblers in the lock just dropped into place. That is a spooky piece of analysis. It explains why Wilson is so rabid in his attacks. He's either a double agent (for the French?) or perhaps a rogue agent.

[bjc]

Psychopath, no; Sociopath and narcissist - (like Clinton and Kerry) - yes!

[originalbuckeye]

I love Hitchens even if he's a lefty. I can't wait for him to make the rounds of the morning shows with this in his arsenal.

................*sound of crickets*................

[Chode]

Ohhh WOE is me...

Why's everybody always pickin on us???

[Enchante]

I have wondered a lot about a possible Libya-Niger connection on uranium, and about the sources and support for Libya's nuke program in general. So little has been written about that - everyone's gone silent on Libya.... WHY? Didn't we bring all kinds of equipment back to Oak Ridge (from Libya's program)?? I guess it's being kept super-classified, but is there nothing that could be released to inform the public about how these clandestine WMD networks operated with IMPUNITY during the Clinton years?

As for the border between Libya and Niger, I've wondered about that too, but when I look up what maps I could find awhile back, there did not seem to be any roads at all for that area (unless they just aren't significant enough to appear on most maps). I don't know whether or not it would be physically possible to truck uranium from Niger's mines into Libya, but in any case Libya presumably got uranium from somewhere...... WHO arranged that and how?

[Enchante]

"JCWilson International Ventures, Corporation, brokers deals for the President of Niger, or has done so in the past, IIRC."

Is this confirmed anywhere?? This would be a HUGE conflict-of-interest, which a number of us have speculated about on other threads in the past. Wilson flies in, gives his current or potential business associates a "clean bill of health" with the CIA and US Gov't, and he is able to cash in on more consulting contracts, etc. in Niger and other countries in the region. His business interests would have been greatly aided by his being viewed as helpful and protective to current and former officials in Niger; otoh, he could have sunk his business future forever in the region if he had come up with anything suggesting Niger was interested in selling any uranium to Iraq...... How very convenient for Joe, that lying-sack-of-feces..... er, I mean, that paragon of honesty and integrity....

[Navy Patriot]

Well this series of articles is sure filling in some of the blanks. Like a jigsaw puzzle the pieces are beginning to fit. Joe Wilson, traitor for profit as well as agenda.

Pieces falling into place like Koffi cup's food for oil skimming and the reason Russia and France didn't want military action against Saddam.

[Verginius Rufus]

Maybe the seven retired generals attacking Rumsfeld story is being hyped so that the discrediting of Joe Wilson doesn't get any attention.

Of course, if the 'Rats regain the House in the November 2006 elections, they'll proceed to treat Joe Wilson's claims as gospel truth (no matter how many times debunked) in drawing up the articles of impeachment.

[marron]

I, too, would like to see back-up for this... "brokers deals for the President of Niger". I'm aware of his association with Almoudi, a Saudi investor. The Almoudis have connections with Libya, for what its worth.

[marron]

Quoting from Financial Times:

The FT has now learnt that three European intelligence services were aware of possible illicit trade in uranium from Niger between 1999 and 2001. Human intelligence gathered in Italy and Africa more than three years before the Iraq war had shown Niger officials referring to possible illicit uranium deals with at least five countries, including Iraq.

This intelligence provided clues about plans by Libya and Iran to develop their undeclared nuclear programmes. Niger officials were also discussing sales to North Korea and China of uranium ore or the "yellow cake" refined from it: the raw materials that can be progressively enriched to make nuclear bombs.

The raw intelligence on the negotiations included indications that Libya was investing in Niger's uranium industry to prop it up at a time when demand had fallen, and that sales to Iraq were just a part of the clandestine export plan. These secret exports would allow countries with undeclared nuclear programmes to build up uranium stockpiles.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1161297/posts

End quote...

As for the roads between Niger and Libya, I agree with you.

Still, who monitors the shipments out of Cotonou, Benin (where Niger's urnanium ships out), to know which ships get loaded by which trucks?

It came out in the congressional hearings that Navy Intel had word of a warehouse in Cotonou, full of contraband uranium, which they reported to CIA. CIA waited a month before sending anyone to check on it, and found nothing. The Navy's contact was a trader supposedly involved, and willing to talk; CIA never interviewed him, saying they didn't know they were supposed to. Which shows how interested they were in finding out about uranium smuggling.

[Fedora]

Wilson's ex-wife Jacqueline lobbies for the President of Gabon, which might be what UCANSEE2 is recalling. I don't recall seeing any direct evidence of Wilson's own company brokering deals for Niger per se. He does have business interests in Niger, though. He wrote in The Politics of Truth, 275-276:

I opened a “boutique” consulting business to help American and international companies invest in Africa. Risk assessment, project development, and strategic management were my focus, as I wanted to take the lessons of my foreign service years and put them to use managing businesses in an international setting. . .My list of clients was small. . .my geographical reach extended into Africa, Western Europe, and Turkey. . .I had become involved in gold mining in West Africa--including in Niger, which was just opening up some fields--as well as telecommunications and the petroleum sector. Oil from Africa was emerging as an alternative to oil from the Persian Gulf, with new discoveries in Angola and Equatorial Guinea fueling a surge of interest.

He elaborated to Vanity Fair:

"I have a number of clients, and basically we help them with their sort of investments in countries like Niger," explains Wilson. "Niger was of some interest because it has some gold deposits coming onstream. We had some clients who were interested in gold. . .We were looking to set up a gold-mine company out of London."

[kellynla]

BTTT

[marron]

Thanks...

[Marine_Uncle]

"As for the border between Libya and Niger, I've wondered about that too, but when I look up what maps I could find awhile back, there did not seem to be any roads at all for that area (unless they just aren't significant enough to appear on most maps). I don't know whether or not it would be physically possible to truck uranium from Niger's mines into Libya, but in any case Libya presumably got uranium from somewhere...... WHO arranged that and how?"

Statements you made to marron in post #31.
OK.
On my 1980 vintage Times World Atlas maps of the NE section of Niger where it connects with southern Libya.
There is a secondary road that leads into Libya that extends all the way up to the basic center of Libya then becomes a full service road as it heads toward the capital (Sabha).
So there was a direct ground route into Libya. We must also remember, one could load up cargo planes with yellowcake packed in 55gal drums. So one could over many flights and truck convoys easily ship tens of tons per week to Libya.
Hope that helps.
As far as your next comment P#32 directed to me and others, where you ask if Joe the crooks firm dealt directly with the Nigerian government, I to had remember reading articles at FR that indicated that was the case. Don't think I had bookmarked them so it would be tought to wade through the feeding frenzy we had back when.
At least at this point we understand just how big of a lying sack of @hit Joe the Crook truly is.
Perhaps he will end up publically being charged with aiding the enemy eventually, but I doubt it. Snakes like him have to many people in high places to protect him. They all just want GWB descredited, they can't afford to let any of their goon squads to be exposed.