SA linked to Libya's nukes
2004-05-28 21:37
Vienna - South Africa has been mentioned as one of the countries that provided both nuclear equipment and expertise to Libya, the UN atomic agency said on Friday.
An internal report by the International Atomic Energy Agency made available to The Associated Press did not name the countries involved, but diplomats familiar with the research that went into the document said South Africa, Pakistan, Dubai, Malaysia and the former Soviet Union were among countries alluded to as either providing state support or serving as a base for individuals selling nuclear components or know-how to Libya.
Other diplomats had earlier named North Korea, as well as individuals from Pakistan, Dubai and Malaysia as part of the black market chain selling nuclear secrets to rogue nations. But one of the diplomats said that to his knowledge, Moscow had not been previously linked to Libyan efforts to acquire a weapons program.
The report credited Libya for widespread co-operation since going public with its weapons of mass destruction programmes in December and pledging to scrap them. But it said more inspections were nonetheless needed to tie up loose ends in the more than two-decade-long clandestine programme.
- AP