IAEA Says Iraq Likely Source of Material!!!

Yahooooooooo via AP ^ | 1/16/04

[areafiftyone]

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - The U.S. nuclear watchdog confirmed Friday that Iraq (news - web sites) was the likely source of radioactive material known as yellowcake that was found in a shipment of scrap metal at Rotterdam harbor.

Yellowcake, or uranium oxide, could be used to build a nuclear weapon, although it would take tons of the substance refined with sophisticated technology to harvest enough uranium for a single bomb.

A spokeswoman for the International Atomic Energy Agency said the Rotterdam specimen was scarcely refined at all from natural uranium ore and may have come from a known mine in Iraq that was active before the 1991 Gulf War (news - web sites).

"I wouldn't hype it too much," said spokeswoman Melissa Fleming. "It was a small amount and it wasn't being peddled as a sample."

The yellowcake was uncovered Dec. 16 by Rotterdam-based scrap metal company Jewometaal, which had received it in a shipment of scrap metal from a dealer in Jordan.

Company spokesman Paul de Bruin said the Jordanian dealer didn't know that the scrap metal contained any radioactive material. He said the dealer was confident the yellowcake, which was contained in a small steel industrial container, came from Iraq.

Jewometaal detected the radioactive material during a routine scan and called in the Dutch government, which in turn asked the IAEA to examine it.

Fleming said the agency will compare the chemical composition of the sample to other samples of ore taken from Iraq's al-Qaim mine, which was bombed in 1991 and dismantled in 1996-97.

She estimated that the Rotterdam sample contained around 5 1/2 pounds of uranium oxide.

President Bush (news - web sites) came under heavy criticism last year when he asserted in his State of the Union address that Iraq was shopping in Africa for uranium yellowcake intelligence that turned out to be based on forged documents.

[So Cal Rocket]

Paging Mr. Wilson, Mr. Wilson, please pick up the white courtesy telephone.

[republicanwizard]

Oh, let's be honest here. When's the last time President Bush came into the harbor? Probably dropped it there?

That's the most interesting theory I've heard...:)

[Sir Gawain]

"I wouldn't hype it too much," said spokeswoman Melissa Fleming. "It was a small amount and it wasn't being peddled as a sample."

Your title: IAEA Says Iraq Likely Source of Material!!!

[Eva]

That was my thought, too. It looks like Iraq may not have been trying to obtain the yellow cake, it looks like they succeeded.

[Paradox]

Rotterdam-based scrap metal company Jewometaal

Oh, sure, whose gonna believe THESE guys, they are part of the conspiracy!

[Constitution Day]

The use of only three exclamation points shows an admirable restraint. ;)

[Republican Wildcat]

That's the original title (minus the !!!)

[Southack]

"was scarcely refined at all from natural uranium ore and may have come from a known mine in Iraq..."

Isn't it funny that we don't hear the "no war" crowd talk about Iraq's known uranium mine very much...

[COEXERJ145]

Within a few hours, it will all be denounced by someone in the administration. Happens every time something interesting is found.

[John H K]

Iraq has 500 tons of Yellowcake sitting at Tuwaitha under IAEA seal that it's had for 2 decades.

[areafiftyone]

I was sitting on my hands when I typed - it wasn't easty ya know!! ;-)

[areafiftyone]

easty=easy

[John H K]

It's not particularly interesting.

I wonder if anyone actually bothered to read the article.

[XHogPilot]

"I wouldn't hype it too much," said spokeswoman Melissa Fleming. "It was a small amount...

What makes these bureaucrats so sure there isn't more? This is the second simple minded dismissal I've read on this discovery. There is only one purpose for uranium yellowcake - production of nuclear grade uranium.

[oceanview]

exactly right. and I cannot figure out what the strategy is. The Niger story is true, the Wilson thing aside which just related to one piece of phony evidence, but no case is made.

[oceanview]

this is how iraq disposed of the yellowcake they had, they had it mixed in with Jordanian scrap metal which was then sold around the world.

[mewzilla]

But the IAEA never looked under al Tuwaitha, did they?

[Dog]

Ummmmmm Iraq did have a uranium mine....

Iraq Al Qaim

According to intelligence information, Iraq is performing repair work at the Al Qaim uranium concentration plant, where it used to extract uranium before the 1991 Gulf War. (dpa Feb 23, 2002 / Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung Feb 24, 2002) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Dog]

Ummmmmm Iraq did have a uranium mine....

Iraq Al Qaim

According to intelligence information, Iraq is performing repair work at the Al Qaim uranium concentration plant, where it used to extract uranium before the 1991 Gulf War. (dpa Feb 23, 2002 / Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung Feb 24, 2002) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[John H K]

This is basically irrelevant to the Niger Wilson story, most likely.

There's Yellowcake in Iraq right now. Iraq used to mine uranium. Iraq used to, decades ago, buy Yellowcake from West Africa.

This isn't the slightest confirmation that Iraq was buying Yellowcake from Niger RECENTLY.

[John H K]

If there was anything interesting or previously unknown at Tuwaitha I suspect we would have heard about it by now.

Unless it's part of the vast Bush administration coverup of evidence of WMD in Iraq or something.

[LayoutGuru2]

And of course we know unequivocally that it is absolutely impossible for the cake to have made its journey having been originally sourced from Niger. < /sarc >

Don't you dare click on this link

[doug from upland]

Let him eat (yellow) cake!

[oceanview]

british intel had plenty of sources for the Niger claim, the forged papers were planted as a poison pill to discredit the whole story.

[John H K]

I wasn't commenting on the truth of the Niger claim, just saying it was overwhelmingly likely this discovery has no particular relevance to whether the Niger claim was true or not.

[ordinaryguy]

I wonder if anyone actually bothered to read the article.

Not judging from the posts. It reminds me of Slashdot.

[mewzilla]

If there was anything interesting or previously unknown at Tuwaitha I suspect we would have heard about it by now.

Patience is a virtue :)

[ordinaryguy]

this is how iraq disposed of the yellowcake they had,

It isn't clear to me that Iraq disposed of any yellowcake. They have tons of the stuff sitting in Location C of Tuwaitha.

What makes you think they were compelled to dispose of any yellowcake?

[ex 98C MI Dude]

The Admin's claim wasn't that Iraq HAD bought uranium from Nigeria (not Niger... that is a city, not a country!), but that they had attempted to buy said substance. In violation of the UN sanctions, making it cassus belli. ANY violation was a cause for war.

Wilson went to Nigeria with the idea of discrediting the Admin. What he found was the story was TRUE. But the way it has been portrayed in the media is that President Bush said Iraq recieved uranium from West Africa. A complete and utter lie.

And you, sir, seem to have bought into it!

[princess leah]

How NOW brown (or yellow) cow?

[Hon]

Niger is the country in question. It is in west Africa.

[ravingnutter]

Wissam al Zahawie, the Iraqi official whom the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says went on a "trade mission" to uranium-exporting Niger in 1999, had a record of promoting resentment against America and Israel and of making Iraq's case for building a nuclear bomb.

Iraqi Nuke Hawk Went to Niger

On March 7, ElBaradei appeared at the U.N. Security Council to report on the IAEA's investigation of Iraq's nuclear-related activities. It was here he revealed that the Iraq-Niger documents were "not authentic." But at the same time he also revealed -- in vague terms -- that Iraq had sent an official to Niger in 1999.

Iraq's trade mission to Iraq

“Niger has two main exports - chickens and uranium."

So I guess he was looking to buy some chickens...

[new cruelty]

The Admin's claim wasn't that Iraq HAD bought uranium from Nigeria (not Niger... that is a city, not a country!), but that they had attempted to buy said substance. In violation of the UN sanctions, making it cassus belli. ANY violation was a cause for war.

Google search: Niger Yellow Cake

A map of Niger

[ex 98C MI Dude]

I stand corrected on that matter. When I went to school, that entire area was Nigeria. The African continent seems to change on a weekly basis.

[new cruelty]

Niger (in red)

[ex 98C MI Dude]

My point still remains. Iraq tried to buy uranium from West Africa. That was a violation of a MULTITUDE of UN sanctions.

[BJClinton]

...production of nuclear grade uranium

I do think this is significant but yelloecake can be used for more than just weapons. It is the most common natural ore used for nuclear energy and depleted uranium munitions, both of which Saddam tried to develop over the decades. We'd need to see where the scrap metal came from before saying this was for WMD.

[new cruelty]

When I went to school, that entire area was Nigeria. The African continent seems to change on a weekly basis.

Key events in Niger's history:

• 1960 independence from France
• 1993 Niger holds its first free and open elections.
• 1995 peace accord ended a five-year Tuareg insurgency in the north.
• 1996 coup
• 1999 coup, followed by the creation of a National Reconciliation Council that effected a transition to civilian rule in December 1999.

[ex 98C MI Dude]

Okay, so you know how to Google a country. I am very happy for you. Now, get to the meat of the matter.

Did Iraq try to buy uranium from NIGER?

[ordinaryguy]

When I went to school, that entire area was Nigeria.

When did you go to school?

[alancarp]

No, I think the article has been read -- it's just amazing to everyone (not surprising, just amazing) that the incident is being downplayed so much.

Yes, you need tons of the stuff to do anything interesting, but let's look at the real points here:

(1) This isn't scrap styrofoam or metal. It isn't some dust residue, oil, or grease. It's over 5 pounds of a Radioactive Element that has very few uses... and in Iraq, that list is even smaller (no nuke plants; no semiconductor makers, for example).

(2) If the circumstances of its finding are accurate (sealed canister hidden amongst the scrap), this would appear to be a deliberate and systematic attempt to get spread/disperse/distribute/etc. the uranium oxide out of the country.

(3) What we don't seem to know from this is whether the 5-1/2lbs. consistutes the processed U3O8 (Uranium Oxide) -OR- just the tailings from the processing of U3O8. The latter would be a much more sinister finding -- it means there's a lot more of the REFINED stuff out there. Unfortunately, it's the tailings that you'd mostly want to get rid of.

(4) Overall, I'm thinking this: if Iraq was trying to sneak this stuff out, then what on earth did they KEEP and how much???

No, let's not hype it too much -- I'm sure it's no more interesting than finding asbestos or dope in the shipment.

[new cruelty]

I think there is ample evidence that they did try to purchase uranium from Niger.

However, the meat I was interested in clarifying was your assertion that Niger is a city not a country and that when you went to school that entire area was Nigeria.

[tallhappy]

C'est impossible. Iraq n'a pas uranium jaune de gâteau.

[TheDon]

Hmmmm....what was the scrap metal? A centrifuge?!

[jae471]

This statement bothers me:

it would take tons of the substance refined with sophisticated technology to harvest enough uranium for a single bomb.

Yes. Sophisticated 1940s technology.

[armyboy]

The U.S. nuclear watchdog confirmed Friday that Iraq (news - web sites) was the likely source of radioactive material known as yellowcake that was found in a shipment of scrap metal at Rotterdam harbor. Yellowcake, or uranium oxide, could be used to build a nuclear weapon, although it would take tons of the substance refined with sophisticated technology to harvest enough uranium for a single bomb. "I wouldn't hype it too much," said spokeswoman Melissa Fleming. "It was a small amount and it wasn't being peddled as a sample."


Why is it that EVERY time we find some suspect substance in Iraq someone alwys finds a way to say it's not what it seems, and is certanly not a WMD?