U.N. leads first-time nuclear inspections in Libya

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, December 29, 2003

U.N. leads first-time nuclear inspections in Libya

In a major step toward disarmament, Libya on Sunday for the first time let U.N. nuclear officials inspect four sites related to its nuclear weapons program, all previously cloaked in secrecy.

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In a major step toward disarmament, Libya on Sunday for the first time let U.N. nuclear officials inspect four sites related to its nuclear weapons program, all previously cloaked in secrecy.

The visits led by the chief U.N. weapons inspector Mohamed ElBaradei are part of an international effort to ensure the North African state has no weapons of mass destruction. They followed the surprise announcement by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi more than a week ago that his country would abandon its pursuit of such weapons.

ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, visited the four nuclear sites in the capital Tripoli, accompanied by a team of inspectors also from the Vienna-based agency.

ElBaradei spent several hours touring the facilities, said his spokesman, Mark Gwozdecky. He described the sites as new facilities that "have never been mentioned in the media before." No further details were given on the sites or about what the inspection teams discovered.

As a signatory of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Libya is required to declare all sensitive nuclear installations to the United Nations.

On arriving in Libya Saturday, ElBaradei said the North African country appeared to be far from producing nuclear arms.

Gwozdecky said ElBaradei would meet with Matouq Mohammed Matouq, a Libyan deputy prime minister and head of the country's nuclear program, to develop a plan for future inspections.

Some of the inspectors also met with Libyan officials on "technical matters concerning the history of (Libya's) entire program" related to weapons of mass destruction, the U.N. spokesman said. ElBaradei did not take part in this meeting, he said, providing no further details.

ElBaradei is expected to meet with Libya's prime minister and foreign minister on Monday before returning to Vienna. Gwozdecky said some inspectors will remain in Libya until Thursday to inspect other sites.

The United Nations lifted sanctions against Libya after it accepted responsibility in September for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jetliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, and agreed to pay $2.7 billion to the victims' families.

Source: Agencies

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