Sgt Sostand
07-17-03, 07:01 AM
Mistrust between Britain, U.S. in uranium controversy
LONDON, July 16 — U.S. and British intelligence agencies concealed information from each other and reached contradictory conclusions about disputed claims that Iraq attempted to buy nuclear materials, British officials said today
BRITISH OFFICIALS have confirmed that the CIA sought last September to persuade them to drop from a public dossier a reference to Iraqi attempts to buy uranium in Africa. In a letter to a parliamentary committee investigating British participation in the war against Iraq, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Britain rejected the CIA request because it had “reliable intelligence which we had not shared with the U.S.” for the allegation and because the agency had made the request “unsupported by explanation.”
The British government, which faces its own political backlash over the intelligence claim, continues to affirm its validity. “I stand by entirely the claim that was made last September” in the British dossier, which focused on weapons of mass destruction, Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons today. He said Britain had relied on “independent intelligence” to make its assessment.
President Bush cited the British claim in his State of the Union address on Jan. 28. Last week the White House declared that the information was unreliable and should not have been included.
LONDON, July 16 — U.S. and British intelligence agencies concealed information from each other and reached contradictory conclusions about disputed claims that Iraq attempted to buy nuclear materials, British officials said today
BRITISH OFFICIALS have confirmed that the CIA sought last September to persuade them to drop from a public dossier a reference to Iraqi attempts to buy uranium in Africa. In a letter to a parliamentary committee investigating British participation in the war against Iraq, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Britain rejected the CIA request because it had “reliable intelligence which we had not shared with the U.S.” for the allegation and because the agency had made the request “unsupported by explanation.”
The British government, which faces its own political backlash over the intelligence claim, continues to affirm its validity. “I stand by entirely the claim that was made last September” in the British dossier, which focused on weapons of mass destruction, Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons today. He said Britain had relied on “independent intelligence” to make its assessment.
President Bush cited the British claim in his State of the Union address on Jan. 28. Last week the White House declared that the information was unreliable and should not have been included.