Italy MPs probe Niger-Iraq claim

Nicolo Pollari testified to Italian MPs in a closed-doors briefing
Italy's secret services warned the US that claims Iraq sought to buy uranium from Niger were false, the intelligence agency head was quoted as saying.

The purported Iraq-Niger uranium deal was used by US President George Bush to bolster the case for war in Iraq.

It is unclear if Italy's warning came before Mr Bush quoted the allegations.

Spy chief Nicolo Pollari was testifying to MPs after claims by an Italian paper that Rome knowingly gave the US and UK forgeries. Italy denies the allegation.

Details of Mr Pollari's testimony, centring on a dossier purporting to show that Iraq had sought uranium from Niger, were given by Senator Massimo Brutti.

He said the spy chief had told parliament that his services, which knew about the dossier, had also warned the US that it was false.

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