Written question asked by Lynne Jones (Labour) on Wednesday, 19 May 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 26 May 2004. It was answered by Denis MacShane (Labour) on Wednesday, 26 May 2004 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, between what dates the September 2002 source upon which the Government based its claim that Iraq sought to procure uranium from Africa indicated that the attempted procurement took place; whether the documentary evidence reported in June 2002, referred to in Paragraph 89 of the Intelligence and Security Committee report, Cm 5972, upon which the Government did not rely to back up its claim that Iraq sought to procure uranium from Africa, was found to be (a) forged and (b) the same as any of the documents described as forged by the International Atomic Energy Agency on 7th March 2003; whether the Government has established the origin and history of the documents referred to as still under consideration in Paragraph 4 of the Further Supplementary Memorandum from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Iraqi Attempts To Procure Uranium, of July 2003, Written Evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ninth Report, HC 813-II. - Inc ref to 420 c1733W, 6 May 2004.

Answer: Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) between what dates the September 2002 source upon which the Government based its claim that Iraq sought to procure uranium from Africa indicated that the attempted procurement took place; [175478] (2) whether the documentary evidence reported in June 2002, referred to in Paragraph 89 of the Intelligence and Security Committee report, Cm 5972, upon which the Government did not rely to back up its claim that Iraq sought to procure uranium from Africa, was found to be (a) forged and (b) the same as any of the documents described as forged by the International Atomic Energy Agency on 7 March 2003; [175493] (3) whether the Government have established the origin and history of the documents referred to as still under consideration in Paragraph 4 of the Further Supplementary Memorandum from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Iraqi Attempts To Procure Uranium, of July 2003, Written Evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ninth Report, HC 813-II. [175494] Mr. MacShane: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave on 6 May 2004, Official Report, column 1733W.

Secondary information