Libya, found equipment to enrich uranium

TRIPOLI – Libya has shown to UN inspectors uranium enrichment equipment that could have been used to obtain the material needed to build a nuclear warhead. This was said by IAEA secretary general Mohammed el Baradei visiting the North African country, specifying that the Tripoli government claims to have bought it on the black market.

El Baradei, who was speaking at a press conference, stated that during the technical visits his team saw centrifuges that could be used to enrich the uranium but which “were dismantled, and in crates”. “We have not seen enriched uranium,” he said.

The number one of the IAEA reiterated that Libya will immediately allow nuclear inspections without warning and appreciated the cooperation shown by Tripoli and the opening of the country on arms inspections. El Baradei also said that Libya has informed the IAEA that as of Monday it will act as if it had signed the additional protocol to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdechy said yesterday that, on the second day of their visit to Libya, El Baradei and his team had begun to inspect nuclear facilities by going to four sites in the Tripoli region.

December 29, 2003