NPR’s “All Things Considered” carried a story yesterday on the Iraqi-Niger yellow-cake uranium controversy. The story notes that the Butler Report is standing behind British intelligence’s assertion of a connection, without stating the basis for the assertion, while the Senate Intelligence Committee report concludes that “to this day the intelligence community has not clarified or corrected its position on whether Iraq ever was trying to purchase uranium from Africa.”

The NPR story also notes the conclusion of the Senate report that, contrary to public statements by Joseph Wilson, his CIA wife Valerie Plame “did play a role in his assignment to Niger.” This is important in how the Bush administration may spin the news on any grand jury determinations concerning her “outing” in the press.

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The BBC is reporting that the ex-prime minister of Niger is denying any Iraq link.

Mr Mayaki denies allegations in the Senate report that he admitted meeting a delegation from Iraq in 1999. The report says that he expected to discuss uranium with the Iraqi delegation but managed to steer the conversation in another direction.

But Mr Mayaki now says he has no recollection of such a meeting, while he was in government from 1999-2001.

"I think this could be easily verified by the Western intelligence services and by the authorities in Niger," he said.

His faith in the Western intelligence services is heartwarming.

Follow-up posts
Plamegate (7/21/05)
"False flag" operations (7/25/05)