Niger upset by uranium slur

BBC ^ | 07/14/03 | BBC

[Pikamax]

Niger upset by uranium slur

In Niger, there is continuing anger and dismay at suggestions that it would consider selling uranium to Iraq. Last week local newspapers were full of criticism of President George W Bush during his whistle-stop tour of Africa when allegations of contact with Iraq again became headline news.

Calls were made in Niger for President Bush to visit in person to apologise for raising the uranium issue during his State of the Union address last year.

The private weekly Le Democrate posed that very question in a headline: Should Niger make the US apologise?

Some radicals in the country even suggested that Niger should complain to the International Court of Justice over President Bush's comments.

Niger is the world's third largest exporter of uranium after Canada and Australia and it is vital to the country's economy. In 1997, Uranium accounted for 70% of export revenues.

Denials

Yet the authorities in Niamey have not gone on record this time.

The poor and sparsely populated nation is unused to Western attention and the government will be keen not to jeopardise the significant help it receives from the United States.

There are three times as many American as French aid workers in the former French colony, says the BBC's Idy Barou in the capital, Niamey.

Conveniently the mines minister has been out of contact in the United States during the past two weeks and is not expected back in Niger until the end of this week.

Whether he could add anything to what is already known about the source of the uranium reports is unclear.

There have already been several denials that the Iraqis had been seeking to buy uranium from Niger in the past few years.

Just two months ago the mines minister said the allegations were "pure invention" and "not true".

In December 2002, Prime Minister Hama Hamadou told the nation: "Iraq has never bought uranium from Niger, and the Niger Government has never discussed selling uranium to Iraq."

Mines

Niger produces almost 3,000 tons of uranium per year, which it sells mainly to France and Japan.

It has two northern mines within a few kilometres of each other. They are both operated by the French company Cogema - one in a joint venture with a local company and other with a state-owned concern.

Niger cannot sell its uranium to whoever it likes

Niger PM Hama Hamadou

Niger: Country profile The raw uranium is exported to France for processing via Cotonou, Benin's capital.

Niger's French-run mines come under the control of the French atomic energy commission.

Our correspondent says that the selling of uranium is basically determined by Cogema and the Niger authorities have no real role in making the deals or distributing the materials.

Mr Hamadou said as much in his a televised address: "Niger cannot sell its uranium to whoever it likes: it has neither the technological means, nor the military capability, nor the ability to do so."

Joseph Wilson, a former US diplomat who went to investigate the issue in Niger concluded as much, saying that controls on Niger's uranium mining were far too strict for any deal with Iraq to be credible.

[Quilla]

But the President didn't say Niger.

[DWPittelli]

First, Bush said, “The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa” – not that Iraq actually got the uranium, or that the country in question was Niger. Second, Blair et al stand by this statement, despite the falsity of the papers claiming a deal with Niger.

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[beaversmom]

Okay let's send Niger some money to make it all better.

[biblewonk]

The Niger's in my hood say Niger all da time.

[biblewonk]

Niger upset by uranium slur

This reminds me of the time Marion Berry said the law of gravity is racist. Now the very elements are racist.

[cincinnati65]

France? France? Did someone say France and uranium and Iraq in the same story?

[snooker]

In fact he might have meant France.

[Cobra64]

First, Bush said, “The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa” – not that Iraq actually got the uranium, or that the country in question was Niger. Second, Blair et al stand by this statement, despite the falsity of the papers claiming a deal with Niger.

The media and the democrats ALWAYS mis-state the truth. Then again "democrats" and "truth" is like mixing water and oil.

[marlon]

Right. And this was reported by the BBC so we know it's true. I guess it was taken from the Niger office of the Gallop organization. You know they just went around and asked the free people of Niger what they thought about this. A majority said that when they were watching the broadcast of Preident Bush's SOTU speech on their plazma TVs back in January they were immediately offended and started writing their representatives in government to take action.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

First we said Africa not Niger.

Second we said "tried" to buy.

Third what the hell does MAKE mean: Should Niger make the US apologise?

[sd-joe]

"Should Niger make the US apologise?"

Make, make. Niger and who's army?

[Political Junkie Too]

Now the very elements are racist.

All but the noble gases.

-PJ

[SquirrelKing]

Hey Niger...

[Brilliant]

On the other hand, the fact that Niger is taking this so personally makes me wonder if they'd tell the truth even if they had sold uranium to Saddam. Ambassador Wilson concludes that it did not happen because Niger denies it. If you'd sold uranium to Saddam Hussein, would you admit it? And if you were Saddam Hussein, wouldn't you use forged documents to get uranium, if that is what it took?

The speculation is that the French originally gave the documents to Britain and swore them to secrecy. My recollection is that Niger was once part of French West Africa, so that seems to support the linkage of Niger with this document. The fact that whoever gave the document to Blair is also refusing to waive the confidentiality also makes me think it is the French. I am sure that they would withhold info on where the document came from in order to embarrass Bush.

But I can't think of any reason that anyone would forge this document other than to trick Niger into selling them the uranium, unless (1) to embarrass the US (but how could they have known at the time that it would cause such embarrassment?), or (2) to sell the document for money (but if they were doing that, why wouldn't they try to sell it to the CIA instead of the French or whoever gave it to the British?). My guess is that the document is genuine--a genuine forgery that Saddam was using to try to get uranium from Niger.

[barkeep]

If one is to believe the International Atomic Energy Agency, Niger has already sold Iraq 280,000 kgs of yellowcake in '81 and '82. See"Fact Sheet: Iraq's nuclear Weapon Programme" IAEA 25 April, 2002. We anxiously await YOUR apology Mr Hamadou.

[Brilliant]

Joseph Wilson, a former US diplomat who went to investigate the issue in Niger concluded as much, saying that controls on Niger's uranium mining were far too strict for any deal with Iraq to be credible.

No one said that they actually sold it, only that Saddam sought uranium from Africa.