Posted on 11/27/2003 10:31:33 AM PST by knighthawk
Investigators have uncovered evidence that former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was attempting to develop a nuclear weapons capability, the Government has asserted.
Responding to the Commons foreign affairs select committee's earlier report on the decision to launch the Iraqi war, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw claimed that Saddam Hussein had made strenuous efforts to conceal his nuclear programme.
Mr Straw stated: "The Iraq Survey Group [the coalition's team searching for weapons of mass destruction] has reported systematic Iraqi concealment of nuclear weapons-related materials, personnel and capabilities.
"In addition to documents found by UNMOVIC [the UN inspection team] before the conflict, further documents and components relevant to Iraq's nuclear weapons programme were discovered in the house of an Iraqi nuclear scientist in June 2003.
"The media have reported that the scientist had been ordered to hide these things so as to be able to rebuild the bomb programme at some time in the future. The material should have been surrendered to UN inspectors 12 years ago.
"The discovery shows the length to which Iraq went to retain components for a nuclear programme and to conceal material from UN inspectors."
In his response Mr Straw continued to defend the controversial assertion in the Government's September 2002 dossier that Iraq had sought the supply of significant amounts of uranium from Africa, despite the fact that in February this year the International Atomic Energy Agency warned that some documentation relating to Iraq's purchase of uranium from Niger was forged.
Mr Straw stated: "We believe the claims made in the dossier that Iraq had sought to obtain yellow cake (uranium) from Africa were reliable. The dossier statement was based on reliable intelligence that we had not shared with the US.
"In addition we have pointed out to the committee that in October 2002 a US National Intelligence Estimate was drawn up supporting our view that Iraq had sought to acquire yellow cake from Africa."
In his paper, Mr Straw argued that it would be premature to respond in detail to the committee's questions until Lord Hutton's inquiry into the apparent suicide of Government weapons expert Dr David Kelly has reported.
Middle East list
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Not according to Mr. Wilson.....
Joseph C. Wilson IV is said to be working below decks, in the engine room of the USS John F. Kerry (did you know he was a Viet Nam vet?).
The French-looking Kerry, I might add, has been torpedoed amidship and is taking water fast. With any luck at all, JCW IV will go down with the ship.
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