May 24, 2004 :: New York Times :: News
As important was the revelation that the Libyan nuclear weapons program had sources in Pakistan via A. Q. Khan, the proliferation network may be yet wider.
U.S. officials had initially indicated that the uranium hexafluoride Libya had relinquished earlier this year came from Pakistan, but a story in the New York Times cites unnamed U.S. officials and European diplomats as saying that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found strong evidence that the 1.7 metric tons of Libyan uranium in fact came from North Korea.
Libya turned over a large quantity of uranium hexafluoride to the United States earlier this year, as part of an agreement to give up its nuclear program. U.S. officials initially identified Pakistan as the likely source of the material.
But The New York Times, citing unnamed U.S. officials and European diplomats, reports the International Atomic Energy Agency recently found strong evidence that the 1.7 metric tons of the uranium in Libya’s possession came from North Korea. The uranium was described as being unusable for nuclear fuel, but was enough material to make one nuclear bomb. The Times says that a new level of suspicion now lurks, that North may have sold uranium to other countries or to terrorists.
The Times quotes a “senior Bush administration official” as saying that “The North Koreans have been selling missiles for years to many countries. Now, we have to look at their trading network in a very different context, to see if something much worse was happening as well.” A European diplomat who declined to identify the sources in the Pakistan Khan network who revealed the North Korean connection added that the connection is “a big thing”: “It means they have a capability they have been hiding from us.” (Article)
» Seoul embarrassed, concerned, at North’s nuclear promiscuity
» More stories on: North Korea, Proliferation
