2003 late : (UK TELEGRAPH REPORT : LOBBYIST FOR NIGER'S GOVERNMENT HERMAN COHEN TOLD NIGER'S PRESIDENT TO STAY QUIET ON THE URANIUM ISSUE) A British Telegraph journalist in Niger recently reported that the former U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Herman Cohen, had told Nigers president to stay quiet on the uranium issue.
[Niger's Ambassador to the US Joseph ] Diatta is quick to address the potentially damaging media report, pointing out that Cohen is also a lobbyist for the Nigerien government and frequently travels to Niger to brief the government on his work in Washington.
I know Ambassador Cohen very well, Diatta said. Ambassador Cohen went as a private person, not as an official of the U.S. government. It is normal for him to go to Niger and speak about his job with my government.
-------- "Uranium Controversy Raises Nigers Profile," by Sean ODriscoll, The Washington Diplomat, Sept 2003, http://www.washdiplomat.com/03-09/a2_03_09.html as retrieved on Jun 14, 2004 10:48:06 GMT.www.washdiplomat.com/03-09/a2_03_09.html - 17k - Cached
And for Omar Bongo! He was also active in Rwanda in 1994. Most likely he'd know the same people Wilson knew on Clinton's Africa team and draws from the same network for his business contacts.