No less than George Tenet, former Director of the CIA, says that both the CIA and the State Department disputed claims that Saddam was attempting to purchase yellowcake in Niger, more than Iraq had already acquired, was already known to the UN weapons inspectors, and was, in fact, under lock and key
That is not the substance of Tenet's statement. Tenet stated, in the link you provided, that a "former official" (ie Joe Wilson) contacted Nigerian officials who said that Iraq inquired about "expanding commercial relations", taken to mean obtaining uranium. The CIA felt this was not definite enough, and that is why it was excluded from briefings to Congress, and why it should not have been included, in Tenet's opinion, in the State of the Union. CIA also chose not to be as confident as British intelligence on the matter. British intelligence was confident.
The alleged Nigerian uranium is separate from the issue of the existing 550 tons of yellowcake known to inspectors. The Niger uranium was sought in 1999 - when inspectors were not in Iraq.
The above is plain from the link you provided, CB. Tenet did not say CIA and State "disputed" claims, Tenet says CIA did not feel the claims were definite enough. Big diff.
Derek |
