Monday, Jun 28, 2004
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By Antony Barnett
LONDON, JUNE 27. The man charged with investigating British intelligence failures in the build-up to the Iraq war is focusing on Tony Blair's assertion that Saddam Hussein tried to secure uranium from Niger. The revelation that Lord Butler, the former Cabinet Secretary in charge of the inquiry, is homing in on this issue could cause problems for Mr. Blair. The Prime Minister's claim — which formed a key element in his justification for the invasion — was subsequently rejected by the U.S. government, which concluded it was based on forged documents. Mr. Blair's controversial September 2002 dossier stated that Iraq had sought `significant amounts of uranium from Africa', widely understood to refer to Niger. We have obtained details of a confidential letter sent by Mr. Butler to the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) earlier this month. He asked Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the IAEA, for information about meetings between Iraqi officials and the Government of Niger, the West African state from which it was claimed Mr. Hussein had tried to buy `yellow cake' uranium ore. In the letter, sent a fortnight ago, Mr. Butler refers to Mr. ElBaradei's address to the U.N. Security Council on 7 March, 2003. Mr. ElBaradei used the occasion to dismiss claims by the British and U.S. Governments, concluding: `There is no indication that Iraq has attempted to import uranium since 1990.' Mr. Butler refers to one specific statement that Mr. ElBaradei made during the address: `Iraq has provided the IAEA with a comprehensive explanation of its relations with Niger, and has described a visit by an Iraqi official to a number of African countries, including Niger, in February 1999, which Iraq thought might have given rise to the reports'. The U.S. administration has apologised for including the Niger allegation in President Bush's State of the Union address last January, but Mr. Blair has always refused to withdraw his claim, insisting that the U.K. had `separate intelligence' about Iraq's quest for uranium. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
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