Stories that don't fit get left on the spike by the media frequently. Not on thebasis that they aren't true, but they need work to investigate and establish the facts one way and another and the people who could do that work are doing other stuff.

Plus, there's plenty of other stories to cover. After all, if it terned out the story wasn't true, that woudln't be a bnig story; if itturned ourt it was it'd be a very risky story. It's best to go carefully upsetting a Prime Minister who used to be a Baath hitman.