Niger says Iraq tried to buy uranium (FLASHBACK) (Niger-France-Iraq link?)

AfricaOnLine ^ | Dec. 29, 2002 | AP

[FairOpinion]

Officials of the central African country of Niger say two decades ago Iraq tried to buy uranium but the request was rebuffed.

NIAMEY: Niger's Prime Minister Hama Hamadou says in the 1980s, Baghdad did not get a favourable response from the then president of Niger, Seyni Kountche.

Last week, the United States accused Iraq of trying to buy uranium from Niger to produce nuclear weapon. Niger is the third leading supplier of mined uranium in the world. It says it sells the mineral mainly to just three countries - France, Japan and Spain.

Enriched uranium is the key element of nuclear weapons.

Two other African countries, Namibia and South Africa, are also among the world's 16 nations with rich uranium supplies.

The World Nuclear Association lists Canada, Australia, Niger, Namibia, Uzbekistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, United States, South Africa, China, Ukraine, Czech Republic, India, France, Romania and Spain as countries that supply uranium.

[FairOpinion]

1. Niger's Prime Minister admits, as FACT, that Iraq tried to buy uranium from them some 20 years ago. Iraq is the world's 3rd largest supplier of Uranium. So it's not at all unreasonable to expect that Iraq may have been trying to get uranium from them at other times, including recently.

2. Note that Niger sells uranium to FRANCE! How interesting that the French refused to share info with the UK & US about the possible recent attempt by Saddam to acquire uranium from Niger.

Could the reason be that France was collaborating with Iraq in trying to help them get the uranium and by disclosing some intelligence, France would incriminate themselves?

I hope someone really digs into this.

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[Only1choice____Freedom]

OOOPs!! Could it be that by exposing this we are exposing the France (Dem allies) connection to Iraqi WMD's?

Somebody should have done their homework on this one.

[Gabrielle Reilly]

read later.

[Husker24]

Does anyone notice now it seems that Niger is no longer pronounced Niger, its become Nisheeer. When did the media up and decide to do this.

[FairOpinion]

It also gets more interesting. I found another recent article from The Guardian, where they tell us, what is the basis of the claim that the original claim is false:

"The CIA asked a retired diplomat to investigate the reports. The diplomat went to Niger in February 2002 and spoke with officials who denied having any uranium dealings with Iraq."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-2783607,00.html

In other words: We got intelligence reports that Iraq is seeking uranium from Niger, so we send some DIPLOMAT(!!!) to ASK the Nigerian officials: "Hey, guys, did you try to sell uranium to Saddam", and of course, what do you think they will say, except "Oh, no, we never heard of any of this". Then the "diplomat" says "Thank you", comes home and announces the intelligence reports are false.

The one thing I can't fathom, what was the CIA thinking sending a diplomat to ask the Nigerian officials, whether they are in cahoots with Saddam, then takes their word, when they say no.

[FairOpinion]

I think they are using the French prononciation.

[ThreePuttinDude]

"Does anyone notice now it seems that Niger is no longer pronounced Niger, its become Nisheeer. When did the media up and decide to do this."

I'd sure like to hear ol' KKK Byrd try and pronounce this...

[Jorge]

Does anyone notice now it seems that Niger is no longer pronounced Niger, its become Nisheeer. When did the media up and decide to do this.

Yes..Rush was saying the Niger sounds too close to the N word...so Nisheeer is now the politically correct pronunciation.

I think it sounds like a really stupid..sounds someone speaking with a fake accent.

[knighthawk]

Niger: Iraq Asked for Uranium in 1980s

[Just mythoughts]

Word may be out that stuff has been found in Iraq and the lying liberals and their conspirators worldwide want to know exactly what has been found.

Using a mole to stir the pot of so called fraud may be their method of trying to force the administration to tell the secrets that the lying liberals don't know yet.

[MizSterious]

Most interesting article! (And some great comments too.)

[Weimdog]

"Two other African countries, Namibia and South Africa, are also among the world's 16 nations with rich uranium supplies."

From The Guardian September 25th 2002 -

"In the 1980s South Africa's apartheid rulers built several nuclear bombs and, according to a BBC investigation, a year before halting the weapons programme in 1989 they traded enriched uranium with Saddam Hussein.

The BBC cited an anonymous South African intelligence official who said that Washington, which favoured Saddam at the time, approved the deal. "About 50kg were sold to the Iraqis. The Americans gave the green light for the deal," the official was quoted as saying."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,798497,00.html

There ius a bunch of Iraq / Africa uranium info in this article.

[ThreePuttinDude]

Thanks Merriam-Webster

Main Entry: Ni·ger

Alternate - Ni·ger·ois

[Brilliant]

Let's face it, Niger is not going to admit that it sold uranium to Saddam.

[BOBTHENAILER]

Most interesting article! (And some great comments too.)

Inasmuch as it was the FRENCH who helped Iraq build the Osirik nuclear reactor, which the Israelis correctly bombed into oblivion, I think the FRENCH CONNECTION here, bears some very close scrutiny.

[randog]

...its become Nisheeer. When did the media up and decide to do this.

East coast lib'rals--the same people that pronounce Nevada, "Nevahda". The correct thing to do is to find out how Nigerians pronounce the name of their country, but that's asking too much of media lib'rals--they know better than those unwashed heathens.

[John Jorsett]

When did this nation stop being Nigeria and start being Niger? And why?

[TexasCajun]

I think My President is waiting for the right time to Nuke The French, The Democrats and The Mainstream Media! ...All at the same time with classified information on the France-Iraq weapons connection!

...remember, that french guy and the shoe-shine boy are hommies!

[FairOpinion]

"I think it sounds like a really stupid..sounds someone speaking with a fake accent"

---

Just about. It's the same way that some people trying to make "Target" stores sound classier by pronouncing it the French way. Same with Niger.