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Italian intel head under investigation

The Italian government rallied Sunday to the defense of General Nicolo Pollari, head of Sismi, Italy`s military intelligence agency, which is accused of passing bad intelligence to the United States, helping bolster claims about Iraq`s prewar nuclear ambitions. President George W. Bush cited the claim that Iraq attempted to purchase uranium in Africa during his 2003 State of the Union speech as part of an effort to build support for war.

The CIA sent former U.S. ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV to Niger in February 2002 after Vice President Cheney requested elaboration on a Pengaton report. Wilson reported that he found no support for the allegation and had reasons to believe it was untrue.

Gen. Pollari is to address a parliamentary committee on November 3 about allegations in a Roman newspaper that the agency passed off fake documents showing that Iraq had sought to obtain uranium from Niger. On the eve of a Monday meeting with President Bush in Washington, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he respected Pollari and trusted and appreciated his work.