UN Wants to See UK Evidence on 'Iraq Uranium'

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030716/wl_nm/iraq_britain_nuclear_dc&cid=574&ncid=1480

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog said Wednesday the British government should let U.N. inspectors verify its evidence that Iraq (news - web sites) tried to buy uranium from Africa to make atomic weapons.

President Bush (news - web sites) has come under fire for including the allegation in his State of the Union address in January. The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has since dismissed as forgeries documents offered as evidence for the charge.

With casualties in Iraq rising and the opposition Democrats questioning Bush's justifications of the U.S.-led war, the White House acknowledged last week that the uranium claim should not have been in the speech.

Under similar pressure in London, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw Monday insisted however that British claims about the African uranium had not been based on the forged documents but on other, as yet unpublicized evidence from a third country which neither the Americans nor the U.N. have seen.

"If there was any other evidence, it would still be appropriate for the IAEA to receive it, in order to verify its veracity," said IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming Wednesday.

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[greyl]

1. Great! :)

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

[0007]

2. If True.....

This speaks volumn's of what the Brit intel thinks of the U.S. LOL!!

[cspiguy]

3. supposedly it was from the French CIA,

who would never share that sort of thing with the americans. It was a French owned company in Niger that originally sold the 200 tons of yellowcake to the Iraqis in the 80's before the first gulf war.

[NNN0LHI]

4. France sait it was bullhockey a few days ago n/t

[cspiguy]

5. wasn't it italy that said that? I think france has been largely silent

on this particular issue, since they helped Saddam build his first reactor and was the agent for his uranium from africa in the past.

[WhataBildeberger]

7. no, France has denied this claim

Italy has been mostly silent (which is a good thing, given the nature of Italy's Bush-league PM).

[Dead_Parrot]

6. So, Britain is...

...believed to have WMD's, but is probably likely to refuse access to the UN inspectors. Guess I better start stocking up bottled water and tinned food...