Uranium from Africa and the Senate (SSCI) Report: Part 3A-5

by eriposte

This is a continuing series focusing on the findings on the "uranium from Africa" issue in the whitewash Senate Report - the report by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI). [Previous parts: Introduction, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 3A-1, Part 3A-2, Part 3A-3, Part 3A-4]. In this post we pick up on the next piece of "evidence" cited by the Senate Report to substantiate the "uranium from Africa" claim. (Note that all bold/highlighted text is my emphasis).

3A-5. Report from France in Nov 2002 regarding alleged attempt by Iraq to seek uranium from Niger

Summary

The Senate Report says:

On November 22, 2002, during a meeting with State Department officials, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director for Nonproliferation said that France had information on an Iraqi attempt to buy uranium from Niger. He said that France had determined that no uranium had been shipped, but France believed the reporting was true that Iraq had made a procurement attempt for uranium from Niger. [page 59]

Analysis

Another independent corroborating source, you say? Oops.

On March 4, 2003, the U.S. Government learned that the French had based their initial assessment that Iraq had attempted to procure uranium from Niger on the same documents that the U.S. had provided to the INVO [IAEA]. [page 69]

Conclusion

Like every one of the previous reports preceding it, on the alleged Iraq-Niger uranium deal or "uranium seeking" this report was also based on the forged Niger documents.