No Evidence Iraq Sought Foreign Uranium, ISG Says
By Mike Nartker
WASHINGTON — The Iraq Survey Group, the coalition unit that searched for evidence of prewar Iraq’s alleged WMD efforts, has found no evidence that Baghdad sought to acquire uranium from abroad following the 1991 Gulf War, according to a report released last week by U.S. chief weapons inspector Charles Duelfer (see GSN, Aug. 2).
Prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom, U.S. officials cited Iraq’s alleged attempts to obtain uranium as evidence of efforts by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to relaunch his nuclear program. Citing information received from sources such as the former head of Hussein’s nuclear weapons program, though, Duelfer dismissed allegations that Iraq sought uranium from Niger and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — two countries cited as possible sources by U.S. intelligence. “ISG has not found evidence to show that Iraq sought uranium from abroad after 1991,” his report states.
... In his report last week, Duelfer described the claims made by the former head of Iraq’s pre-1991 nuclear weapons program, Jafar Jafar, regarding Iraq’s two contacts with Niger after 1998. Neither involved discussions on uranium, according to Jafar.
... The purpose of one visit in 1999 by Iraq’s ambassador to the Holy See, Jafar claimed, was to invite Niger’s president to visit Baghdad. Duelfer’s report does not mention the possible purpose of the Iraqi invitation. Jafar also claimed, according to Duelfer, that a second contact between Iraq and Niger occurred when a Nigerien official traveled to Baghdad in 2001 to discuss purchasing petroleum products. The
trip did not involve, though, an offer by Niger to provide uranium instead of cash for the purchase, the report says.
... In addition, there is no sign that prewar Iraq sought to obtain uranium from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and it may actually have rejected an opportunity to do so, according to Duelfer’s report.
