Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Inspector: Libya not close to making nukes

|
|
 
  
Published: Dec. 29, 2003 at 9:11 PM

TRIPOLI, Libya, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday Libya has agreed to snap inspections of its nuclear installations.

But Mohammed el-Baradei also said Libya was not close to producing nuclear weapons, the BBC reported.

He said Libya will start from Monday to act as is it has already signed the additional protocol of the Non-Proliferation Treaty which allows the IAEA to conduct unexpected and surprise inspections of nuclear sites.

El-Baradei spoke at the end of a two-day trip to Libya, the first since the country agreed to give up its weapons drive. He welcomed Libya's cooperation with inspection teams who have already verified four installations which were not inspected previously.

He told reporters that Libyan officials showed IAEA inspectors equipment for uranium enriching and purification but which had been dismantled and placed into boxes.

He said Libya bought the equipment on the black market.

IAEA inspectors also conferred with Libyan technicians who briefed them on their history of their country's nuclear programs.

Topics: Mohammed El Baradei
© 2003 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
Notable deaths of 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee AmfAR Cinema Against AIDS gala
Indianapolis 500 Presidential Medal of Freedom Memorial Day around the nation
Additional Top News Stories
1 of 20
Singer Janelle Monae arrives at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards in Universal City, California
View Caption
Singer Janelle Monae arrives for the MTV Movie Awards at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. UPI/Jim Ruymen
fark
The bar for spelling has never been lowre
Turns out men cheat way more than women after all
Famous last words: "The notion that it's too late to do anything is comical. It's hilarious. We're...
Five secrets to getting the best healthcare. #6: Don't get sick
Traveling to the U.S.? If invited to a dinner party, bring a gift of wine, but not cash or toiletries...
Man turns dead pet cat into remote-controlled helicopter, calls it art (w/WTF pics)