Brits stand by unranium claim ... and what to the French know?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
... and when did they know it.





The story NOT being reporting in the heavy news cycle is that the Brits stand by the claim that Iraq tried to purchase uranium form Niger. So why don't they just put the cards on the table? Maybe because they are not their cards.



Read on



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Weasel Watch

Curiously, while Democrats rush to plead Saddam's innocence, the British are standing by what CNN calls "_'reliable intelligence' which had not been shared with the United States" and which, according to the British, indicates that Saddam did indeed try to purchase uranium from Niger. Why'd the Brits keep it to themselves? The Daily Telegraph says the French intelligence service "is believed" to have refused to allow Britain's MI6 to share the information with the U.S.:



US intelligence sources believe that the most likely source of the MI6 intelligence was the French secret service, the DGSE. Niger is a former French colony and its uranium mines are run by a French company that comes under the control of the French Atomic Energy Commission.



A further factor in the refusal to hand over the information might have been concern that the US administration's willingness to publicise intelligence might lead to sources being inadvertently disclosed.



US sources also point out that the French government was vehemently opposed to the war with Iraq and so suggest that it would have been instinctively against the idea of passing on the intelligence.






What do the French know? When did they know it?
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 30
    709709 Posts: 2,016member
    Does anybody remember that scene in 'Jurassic Park' where the T-Rex broke through the fence and was about to attack the kids in the upside-down car? And then Jeff G was all flare-like waving his hands *over here!*!! And then Jeff got all pushed onto the ground and hid underneath the grass...and then T-Rex totally ate that guy on the toilet that everyone hated because he was the money-guy.



    I loved that movie.
  • Reply 2 of 30
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    Okay so the T-Rex is the truth and the guy being eaten is French. RIght?
  • Reply 3 of 30
    discocowdiscocow Posts: 603member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by 709



    I loved that movie.




    That's perfectly understandable.



    "I bet you'll never look at birds the same way again"
  • Reply 4 of 30
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    The US is standing by it too. Ari is saying that it's true, but it just wasn't up to State of the Union standards of certainty.
  • Reply 5 of 30
    709709 Posts: 2,016member
    I would've said 'bidet' but nobody would have got my joke.
  • Reply 6 of 30
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    This wouldn't surprise me actually. Still doesn't excuse Tenet / Bush from not having their shit together on State of the Union night....
  • Reply 7 of 30
    My understanding is that Britain received definitive proof from the French that Osama was lookin to dabble in dirty bombs. For instance check out this ironclad piece of proof:



    To: [email protected]

    From: [email protected]

    Re: Efforts to sell WOMD to Terrorists



    DEAR SIR OR MADAM OR TERRORIST,

    _

    I AM MRS. SESE-SEKO WIDOW OF LATE PRESIDENT MOBUTU SESE-SEKO OF NIGER? NOW KNOWN AS DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF NIGER (DRN). I AM MOVED TO WRITE YOU THISLETTER, THIS WAS IN CONFIDENCE CONSIDERING MY PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCE AND SITUATION.

    _

    I ESCAPED ALONG WITH MY HUSBAND AND TWO OF OUR SONS KONGOLO AND BASHER OUT OF DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF NIGER (DRN) TO ABIDJAN, COTE D'IVOIRE WHERE MY FAMILY AND I SETTLED, WHILE WE LATER MOVED TO SETTLED IN MORROCO WHERE MY HUSBAND LATER DIED OF CANCER DISEASE. HOWEVER DUE TO THIS SITUATION WE DECIDED TO CHANGED MOST OF MY HUSBAND'S BILLIONS OF DOLLARS DEPOSITED IN SWISS BANK AND OTHER COUNTRIES INTO URANIUM FOR SAFE PURPOSE BECAUSE THE NEW HEAD OF STATE OF (DR) MR LAURENT KABILA HAS MADE ARRANGEMENT WITH THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT AND OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES TO FREEZE ALL MY LATE HUSBAND'S TREASURES DEPOSITED IN SOME EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

    _

    HENCE MY CHILDREN AND I DECIDED LAYING LOW IN AFRICA TO STUDY THE SITUATION TILL WHEN THINGS GETS BETTER, LIKE NOW THAT PRESIDENT KABILA IS DEAD AND THE SON TAKING OVER (JOSEPH KABILA). ONE OF MY LATE HUSBAND'S CHATEAUX IN SOUTHERN FRANCE WAS CONFISCATED BY THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT, AND AS SUCH I HAD TO CHANGE MY IDENTITY SO THAT MY INVESTMENT WILL NOT BE TRACED AND CONFISCATED.

    _

    I HAVE DEPOSITED THE SUM OF EIGHTEEN MLLION POUNDS OF URANIUM(US18,000,000,00 LB) WITH A TERRORIST INTERMEDIARY NAMED SADDAM HUSSEIN, FOR SAFEKEEPING. THE URANIUM ARE SECURITY CODED TO PREVENT THE AMERICAN INFIDELS OR INCOMPETENT UNITED NATIONS INSPECTORS WEAPONS FROM KNOWING THE CONTENT.

    _

    WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO IS TO INDICATE YOUR INTEREST THAT YOU WILL ASSIST US BY RECEIVING THE URANIUM ON OUR BEHALF. ACKNOWLEDGE THIS MESSAGE, SO THAT I CAN INTRODUCE YOU TO MY SON (KONGOLO) AND MR SADDAM HUSSEIN (WHO IS NOT WITH THEM THE AMERICANS BUT WITH US THE TERRORISTS) WHO HAS THE OUT MODALITIES FOR THE CLAIM OF THE SAID URANIUM. I WANT YOU TO ASSIST IN USING THIS URANIUM, BUT I WILL NOT WANT MY IDENTITY REVEALED. I WILL ALSO WANT TO BUY PROPERTIES AND STOCK IN MULTI-NATIONAL COMPANIES AND TO ENGAGE IN OTHER SAFE AND NON-SPECULATIVE INVESTMENTS.

    _

    MAY I AT THIS POINT EMPHASISE THE HIGH LEVEL OF CONFIDENTIALITY, WHICH THIS BUSINESS DEMANDS, AND HOPE YOU WILL NOT BETRAY THE TRUST AND CONFIDENCE, WHICH I REPOSE IN YOU. IN CONCLUSION, IF YOU WANT TO ASSIST US , MY SON SHALL PUT YOU IN THE PICTURE OF THE BUSINESS, TELL YOU WHERE THE URANIUM ARE CURRENTLY BEING MAINTAINED AND ALSO DISCUSS OTHER MODALITIES INCLUDING REMUNERATION FOR YOUR SERVICES.

    _

    FOR THIS REASON KINDLY FURNISH US YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION IN YOUR SAFEHOUSES IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ, THAT IS YOUR PERSONAL TELEPHONE AND FAX NUMBER FOR CONFIDENTIAL PURPOSE AND ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF THIS MAIL USING THE ABOVE EMAIL ADDRESS.

    _

    BEST REGARDS AND ON BEHALF OF MR. SADDAM HUSSEIN,

    MRS M. SESE SEKO
  • Reply 8 of 30
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
  • Reply 9 of 30
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    oh my.



  • Reply 10 of 30
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    Should we close this thread and start a knew one with a more serious discussion?
  • Reply 11 of 30
    aquafireaquafire Posts: 2,758member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by 709

    ..and then T-Rex totally ate that guy on the toilet that everyone hated because he was the money-guy.



    Now what else connects to that guy being French..

    Oh I remember..sitting on his arse, hiding in a shithole....and something about Bidet slurpers...
  • Reply 12 of 30
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Scott

    Should we close this thread and start a knew one with a more serious discussion?



    No. This is better. I think we can take it that noone is willing to challenge your point.



    Brilliant stuff from the kitchen utensil.
  • Reply 13 of 30
    randycat99randycat99 Posts: 1,919member
    C'mon, that Niger email spoof was hysterical!



    No reason further serious discussion cannot proceed now. It was just a brilliant stroke of levity that we were struck with.
  • Reply 14 of 30
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Scott, if you can selectively quote it to make it seem like Bush raped Chirac until he had their intelligence folks report it then you'll have a thread with legs!
  • Reply 15 of 30
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Scott

    Should we close this thread and start a knew one with a more serious discussion?



    Well you opened with a joke.
  • Reply 16 of 30
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by RollerBovine

    Well you opened with a joke.





    I don't think I did. France has been VERY underhanded with the way it's been dealing with the situation. Rather than being honest and helping the UN and the rest of the world with the best information they have at the time ... they keep quite. I can only think it was done to protect their lucrative oil contracts with the former dictator.





    Remember when Jack Straw was laying into the French at the UN? He said they were making a "false choice". I wonder if Straw knew a lot of information that he wasn't allowed to divulge because the french put the cap on it.
  • Reply 17 of 30
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    When you look at France doing its damned best to protect Saddam and secure financial dealings along with George Galloway's nice bit of payola it isn't hard to see that the profit motivation spans across the debate.



    The difference between the two being that there is really no other reason for France to behave in such a way. There is no moral or ethical reason to hide intelligence about a brutal dictator from your supposed allies while vehemently defending that brutal dictator's right to continue his brutal dictatorship.



    Whether or not this particular report is true, the argument above stands. For those who believe this war was "about oil", I'm curious how many of them are willing to acknowledge it when it turns around on them.
  • Reply 18 of 30
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    I don't think it's technically possible to share a secret info with UK and not with US. If you want to hide secrets, you don't share them at all.
  • Reply 19 of 30
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by groverat

    When you look at France doing its damned best to protect Saddam and secure financial dealings along with George Galloway's nice bit of payola ...



    Wasn't the Galloway thing debunked?
  • Reply 20 of 30
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Scott:



    Quote:

    Wasn't the Galloway thing debunked?



    You were caught by the disinformation campaign of some silly anti-war people.



    The claims against Galloway are 100% legit.
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