[silverleaf]

nigergate ping

[Shermy]

"The self same Martino admitted this to Il Giornale, he repeated it to the American Cbs (who never aired the interview because Martino omited to tell them in advance that he worked for Paris)"

CBS? Mary Mapes? Meeting fixed up by the talkingpointsmemo guy who was being used by Wilson and the French?

[dfwgator]

French 007?

[Alia]

3. Chouet claims that the Cia knew about the forgeries since the summer of 2002 and that it was the Americans that gave them to the French. False. Page 36 of the bipartisan report from the US Senate commission is very clear: «the first information the intelligence community received in regards to the uranium from Niger arrived in October 2001». Information shared by all the secret services (includine the French) not Martino’s dossier.

[Just mythoughts]

Last week Wilson was still blathering about those "16 words" of the President's speech.

Why is that still of a concern to Wilson, could it be that the hunt is on to find out what British intel has about Saddam and yellowcake?

[Admin Moderator]

Please provide a working link to this story, or it will be pulled. Thanks.

[silverleaf]

http://washingtontimes.com/world/20031001-101113-2642r.htm

Given the high security that Niger affords to yellowcake shipments enroute the 400 miles to Benin...how could ANYONE ever suppose that some of it could "disappear" by prearrangement and bribery?

Remember that the major analytical objection to intelligence about Iraqi-Niger talks about an illicit uranium transfer came from State Department experts (Like Joe Wilson) who insisted Nigerian uranium ore could never end up in Iraqi hands because France "controls" the output of the mines and the IAEA "monitors" the process.

[popdonnelly]

My thinking at the present time is that the three forged documents were created to discredit a legitimate claim that Iraq was trying to obtain yellowcake from Niger. Martino's story that they were handed to him by an employee of the Niger Embassy makes no sense. Why would a Niger employee create documents that discredit the Niger government?

Suspicions that Iraq was trying to obtain yellowcake from Niger began in 1999. Which was the year the Iraqi ambassador to the Holy See was to visit Niger. This is documented by a telex from the Niger Embassy, the authenticity of which is not in dispute. But if you add to that telex a few forged documents, you cast doubt on the validity of the telex.