NigerUranium

The more things change, the more they stay the same . . .

On November 12, 1979, the government of the small, poor, struggling African country of Niger published a “Statement on Uranium Exports.” This rather melancholy statement issued by Mahamadou Halilou, Niger’s Minister of Information, reads, in part:

“Some organs of the press recently published a report which resembles a detective story. According to the report, consignments of uranium concentrate often disappear on the way to their destination and finally find their way to Libya and Pakistan. These allegations would not have been worth denying but for the fact that they tend to make people believe that Niger is incapable of the routine exploitation and shipment abroad of its underground products. The motive is perfectly (?clear).

First of all, despite the installation of ultra-modern ore treatment factories at Arli and (?Akoson), Niger produces only uranium concentrate and no enriched uranium. The ambiguity of these press reports must be completely cleared away: ore concentrate is not enriched ore. Only very few countries are capable of producing enriched ore.”

Some features of this report should sound familiar – vague allegations that Niger uranium is being diverted from its destination, necessitating a declaration from the Nigerien government that its product is unenriched uranium.

The statement continues,

“Secondly, the transport of the uranium concentrate from Arli, where it is produced, to the port of Cotonou has been entrusted to the Niger national transport company, SNTN. This is a mixed economy company whose remarkable organization has failed only twice. There were two roads accidents, one on the road to Birni-Koni, some 400 km from Niamey, and the other not far from Zinder during the rainy season in August this year. According to the report of the competent authorities, the ore was gathered, rebagged and transported to Cotonou. Zinder and Birni-Koni are not on the border with Libya, as (?alleged).” . . . Still familiar . . .

Continuing: “Niger, which sells its uranium through an appropriate state organization called (?Onarem) and which is a member of the international atomic energy alliance, conducts its commercial transactions within the strict framework of the rules laid down by Euroatom for its European partners and those laid down by the IAEA for all other buyers. The consignments sold to some buyers who are not far from Niger were shipped out by aircraft from Agades airport. This is no secret to anyone. It is (?pure) imagination to say that a big lorry had overturned on its way to Libya [flew words indistinct] and was seen by Senussi nomads. This was only a note added to the decor of the scenery in order to strengthen the thesis that uranium had been sold to Libya.”

Here the reader should be reminded of that tale of “barrels” of “a large quantity of uranium,” waiting at the port of Cotonou, Benin, for shipment to Iraq -- allegedly in 2002 – another exotic narrative.

But as the Nigerien official points out, “It may be necessary to recall here the following elementary facts: The uranium ore market is fundamentally free. Any (?buyer) of this raw material knows that he can get it nearly anywhere in the world. Up till now, the main condition is to accept the principle of control by the hierarchy [as heard]. Everyone also knows that today any country is in a position to obtain uranium concentrate without buying it from Niger [words indistinct].”

Going on: “Fourthly, the secret services of the big powers - which are often supported by international Zionism - seem to be speculating about the future of the Arli uranium deposits. They are worried about the destination of the products from Arli. Although this is understandable in view of the provisions of the treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, this haste in trying to give lessons, especially by creating false events, is an intolerable interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Niger [as heard]. The Government cannot tolerate this [words indistinct].

To conclude: The Government wishes to recall that the Arli uranium deposits are the exclusive property of the Niger Republic, and that it cannot be otherwise. Therefore there can be no question of [words indistinct], or of bargaining over Niger's right to exercise sovereignty over its national heritage. Niger reaffirms its policy of non-alignment, of seeking peace and of maintenance of international security in conformity with the spirit of the Charters of the Organization of African Unity and of the United Nations. It will continue to conduct a fraternal and active policy of good neighbourliness in its relations with neighbouring countries; internally, it will establish a development company in conformity with the intrinsic interests of the Niger people.”

What the poor little nation ultimately did, of course, was enter into agreements with a French-led consortium that then controlled exports of uranium from Niger, effectively blackmailed into seeing the advantages of having its commerce monitored and thus somewhat protected from allegations. Therefore the French were uniquely qualified – in the administration’s PR lead-up to an invasion of Iraq – to debunk the “dodgy” narrative that Nigerien uranium was going to Iraq. No wonder public discourse in the U.S. at the time was poisoned from the well by all that organized French-bashing from the neocon spin machine, even joined by oenophile Rush Limbaugh.