America silences Niger leaders in Iraq nuclear row ==================================================

By David Harrison in Niamey, Niger The Telegraph (UK) (Filed: 03/08/2003)

America has warned the Niger government to keep out of the row over claims that Saddam Hussein sought to buy uranium for his nuclear weapons programme from the impoverished West African state.

Herman Cohen, a former assistant secretary of state for Africa and one of America’s most experienced Africa hands, called on Mamadou Tandja, Niger’s president, in the capital Niamey last week to relay the message from Washington, according to senior Niger government officials.

One said: "Let’s say Mr Cohen put a friendly arm around the president to say sorry about the forged documents, but then squeezed his shoulder hard enough to convey the message, ’Let’s hear no more about this affair from your government’. Basically he was telling Niger to shut up."

The dramatic American intervention reflects growing concern about the continuing row over claims that America and Britain distorted evidence to justify the war against Iraq.

It follows The Telegraph’s exclusive interview with Hama Hamadou, Niger’s prime minister, last week. Mr Hamadou said that the Niger government had never had discussions with Iraq about uranium and called on Tony Blair to produce the "evidence" he claims to have to confirm that Iraq sought uranium from Niger in the 1990s.

American officials denied that there had been any attempt to "gag" the Niger government. The Niamey official, however, said that there was "a clear attempt to stop any more embarrassing stories coming out of Niger".

He said that Washington’s warning was likely to be heeded. "Mr Cohen did not spell it out but everybody in Niger knows what the consequences of upsetting America or Britain would be. We are the world’s second-poorest country and we depend on international aid to survive."

Mr Cohen’s intervention suggests that Washington is keen to draw a line under the "uranium from Africa" affair, although The Telegraph has also learned that senior American soldiers were in Iraq last week to investigate the movement of Niger’s uranium.

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