London, Aug 10: Dealing a severe blow to the British government's claim that Saddam Hussein was trying to buy uranium in Africa - one of the main justifications for waging war on Iraq - a former Iraqi Ambassador has claimed that documents detailing a uranium deal with Niger are fakes. Wissam al-Zahawie, former Iraqi Ambassador to the Vatican, who had allegedly been instructed to seek uranium during a visit to Niger, said, "My only mission was to meet the President of Niger and invite him to visit Iraq."
"The invitation and the situation in Iraq resulting from the genocidal UN sanctions were all we talked about. I had no other instructions, and certainly none concerning the purchase of uranium," the 73-year-old Zahawie told a newspaper here. "I have been cleared by everyone else, including the US and the United Nations. I am surprised to hear there are still question marks over me in Britain. I am willing to co-operate with anyone who wants to see me and find out more."
Britain has, however, remained undaunted by proof that documents purporting to show an Iraqi uranium deal with the western African state were fakes, the report said. While the US admits it should never have made allegations based on the documents, Britain insists it has "independent intelligence" about Iraq's quest for uranium and points out that an Iraqi delegation visited Niger in 1999.
A foreign office official said, "Niger has two main exports - uranium and chicken. The Iraqi delegation did not go to Niger for chicken."
The government's September dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction said the regime "sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa, despite having no active civil nuclear power programme that could require it".
The allegation found its way into President George W Bush's State of the Union address in January. But as one element after another of this claim were disproved, the government increasingly focused attention on Zahawie's visit to Niger. Bureau Report