Intelligence row dogs Blair visit

Tenet: "It was an uplifting experience"

The row over the use of intelligence in the run-up to the war is gripping both the Senate and the media in Washington, overshadowing UK Prime Minister Tony Blair's landmark visit.

Pat Roberts, Republican chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that the issue of why a claim that Iraq was trying to buy uranium from Africa was included in a key speech by the US president would not go away.

"We are doing this very aggressively. We will take this where it leads us. We'll let the chips fall where they may," he said.

The more important question is, who is it in the White House who was hell-bent on misleading the American people and why are they still there? Democrat Senator Richard Durbin

Both Mr Blair and President George W Bush are under fire over the use of a claim that Iraq was trying to buy uranium from Niger to build the case for going to war against Iraq.

The claim has been discredited by the United Nations as being based on forgeries and the White House has admitted it was a mistake to include the claim in Mr Bush's State of the Union address. The head of the CIA has taken the blame.

Fuel to the fire

The uranium row was further fuelled on Thursday when a Democrat member of the Senate Intelligence Committee alleged that CIA Director George Tenet had accused a White House aide of pushing for the inclusion of the uranium claim in the speech.

The Committee questioned Mr Tenet behind closed doors on Wednesday.

The agency had voiced doubts about the intelligence long before the speech in January 2003 and had cut it from an earlier presidential address.

"We've been asking the wrong question. We've been asking why did George Tenet not stop the White House from misleading the American people. The more important question is, who is it in the White House who was hell-bent on misleading the American people and why are they still there?" said Democrat committee member Senator Richard Durbin.

Uranium row in quotes

"[Mr Tenet] told us who the person was who was insistent on putting this language in, which the CIA knew to be incredible, this language about the uranium shipment from Africa," Mr Durbin said on Good Morning America. He refused to name the aide.

"There was this negotiation between the White House and the CIA about just how far you could go and be close to the truth," said the senator - one of the few to have opposed American intervention in Iraq.

The White House rejected as "nonsense" Mr Durbin's version of events.

However, the issue dominated journalists' questions at the daily White House briefing.

'Sloppy'

Wednesday's hearing was the first time Mr Tenet had faced questions since he took the blame for the inclusion of the Niger claim.

"The director was very contrite. He was very candid. He was very forthcoming. And he accepted full responsibility," said Senator Roberts

Mr Roberts said it was clear "there were mistakes made up and down the chain".

He said the hearing reaffirmed his belief that "the handling of this was sloppy".

After the hearing, Mr Tenet said only: "It was an uplifting experience."

Senators from both sides have voiced support for Mr Tenet, with some saying it is President Bush who should be held accountable for the mistake.