Germany’s Foreign Ministry disclosed Wednesday that criminal investigations have been opened in response to allegations that German companies supplied Iraq with equipment to produce enriched uranium, a component of nuclear weapons.
The ministry did not name the companies under scrutiny, but sources outside the ministry said they included some “giants” with excellent connections in Bonn.
The material for the criminal probe came partly from the United Nations, said government sources, adding that the government would cooperate fully with the United Nations in further efforts to gather information about Iraq’s nuclear capability.
The German industrialists association declined to comment on allegations against any of its members, except to note that no company has yet been convicted of illegally exporting to Iraq.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
