David Harrison in Niamey, Niger
America silences Niger leaders in Iraq nuclear row
Thu Aug 7 17:16:06 2003
64.140.158.74


Thursday 7 August 2003

America silences Niger leaders in Iraq nuclear row
By David Harrison in Niamey, Niger
(Filed: 03/08/2003)
http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/08/03/wwmd03.xml


America has warned the Niger government to keep out of the row over claims that Saddam Hussein sought to buy uranium for his nuclear weapons programme from the impoverished West African state.

Herman Cohen, a former assistant secretary of state for Africa and one of America's most experienced Africa hands, called on Mamadou Tandja, Niger's president, in the capital Niamey last week to relay the message from Washington, according to senior Niger government officials.

One said: "Let's say Mr Cohen put a friendly arm around the president to say sorry about the forged documents, but then squeezed his shoulder hard enough to convey the message, 'Let's hear no more about this affair from your government'. Basically he was telling Niger to shut up."

The dramatic American intervention reflects growing concern about the continuing row over claims that America and Britain distorted evidence to justify the war against Iraq.

It follows The Telegraph's exclusive interview with Hama Hamadou, Niger's prime minister, last week. Mr Hamadou said that the Niger government had never had discussions with Iraq about uranium and called on Tony Blair to produce the "evidence" he claims to have to confirm that Iraq sought uranium from Niger in the 1990s.

American officials denied that there had been any attempt to "gag" the Niger government. The Niamey official, however, said that there was "a clear attempt to stop any more embarrassing stories coming out of Niger".

He said that Washington's warning was likely to be heeded. "Mr Cohen did not spell it out but everybody in Niger knows what the consequences of upsetting America or Britain would be. We are the world's second-poorest country and we depend on international aid to survive."

Mr Cohen's intervention suggests that Washington is keen to draw a line under the "uranium from Africa" affair, although The Telegraph has also learned that senior American soldiers were in Iraq last week to investigate the movement of Niger's uranium.

27 July 2003: 'Saddam never shopped for uranium in my country'
http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$IIFWIG4XW1I1VQFIQMFCFFOAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2003/07/27/wniger27.xml

27 July 2003: 'Why, Mr Blair, would Saddam ever have thought he could get hold of our uranium?'
http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$IIFWIG4XW1I1VQFIQMFCFFOAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2003/07/27/wniger127.xml

21 July 2003: Bush under pressure over 'dodgy' Iraq weapons claim
http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$IIFWIG4XW1I1VQFIQMFCFFOAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2003/07/21/wmd21.xml

20 July 2003: Envoy pours scorn on Niger intelligence
http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$IIFWIG4XW1I1VQFIQMFCFFOAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2003/07/20/wniger20.xml

9 July 2003: White House disowns British claim that Saddam tried to buy uranium
http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$IIFWIG4XW1I1VQFIQMFCFFOAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2003/07/09/wdoss09.xml

7 July 2003: CIA man denies Niger-Iraq uranium link
http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$IIFWIG4XW1I1VQFIQMFCFFOAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2003/07/07/wcia07.xml

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UPDATES: Bush Niger Iraq uranium

Niger may sue over uranium slur - 8/7/03
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3132263.stm

The government of Niger is being pressurised to sue the US for damages over allegations that Iraq tried to buy uranium from the West African country.

The Chairman of the opposition Alliance for Democracy and Progress, Issoufou Bachar, says that Niger must seize the opportunity and file claims for "heavy damages".

"The US forged a letter on Niger's behalf ....this is a shame," local Tenere FM radio quoted Mr Bachar as saying.

US President George W Bush claimed in his State of the Union speech to Congress in January that Iraq had been seeking to buy uranium from Niger for its nuclear programme.

But supposed documents backing up the claim were then shown to be crude forgeries, leading the White House to withdraw the charge.

Pressure

President Mamadou Tandja of Niger on Sunday again rejected the claims, on the same day that Britain's Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported that the US was pressurising the West African country to keep quiet on the issue.

President Tandja also said that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear watchdog, had cleared his country of all suspicion.

"Even the IAEA cleared Niger of all suspicion before the United Nations Security Council," President Tandja said during an address to mark his country's 43rd anniversary of independence from France.

Niger is the world's third largest exporter of uranium after Canada and Australia, which between them account for about half the world's production.

In 1997, Uranium accounted for 70% of Niger's export revenues.

• Thanks for picking this up — rainesco, Fri Aug 8 01:20