Posted on 23-12-2003

UN to start Libyan weapons inspections next week
By George Jahn, AP

Libya has agreed to throw open its nuclear activities to inspection by the UN atomic agency as early as next week, the head of the UN watchdog said today.

The decision followed a meeting on Saturday between a delegation from Libya and Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The session came after Friday's surprise announcement that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi would give up his country's nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction programmes.

Mr ElBaradei said that he would lead the first inspection mission, which he described as a positive step on the part of Libya "to rid itself of all programmes or activities that are relevant or could lead to the production of weapons of mass destruction."

Libya has admitted to nuclear fuel projects, including the possession of centrifuges and centrifuge parts used in uranium enrichment - a nuclear effort more advanced than previously thought. It also agreed to tell the IAEA about current nuclear programmes and to adhere to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.

Libya will also sign a nuclear non-proliferation treaty protocol allowing snap inspections of its weapons programmes by UN nuclear experts

Shokri Ghanem, the Libyan Prime Minister said today: "We agree to the commitment we are taking in front of the IAEA and are willing to abide by its rules and honour our commitments, whatever that commitment means."

Mr Ghanem said his country's relations with America and Britain will improve and economic benefits will flow to the North African state following its decision to dispose of its weapons of mass destruction.

Speaking on BBC Radio's Today progrramme, he said that Libya wanted to change its "priorities and concentrate on our economic affairs and economic development."

He said that not all Libyans supported his government's move, but added that it was "a decision we are taking and we think it is in the interests of the Libyan people and in the interest of the whole world community."

Libya wants to improve its economy and living standards for its citizens, he said, plus fight terrorism and set an example to other countries to "clear (the region of) ... weapons of mass destruction."

The United Nations lifted sanctions against Libya after it accepted responsibility in September for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over Lockerbie that killed 270 people, and agreed to pay $2.7 billion to the victims' families.

America imposed sanctions against Libya in 1986, claiming it supported terrorist groups. Ten years later, America passed the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act that threatened to penalize the US partners of European companies that did significant business in Libya and Iran.

Even after the UN Security Council voted to abolish its sanctions, the United States maintained its embargoes.

Mr Ghanem said Libya wanted to improve its ties with the international community, particularly the United States and its close ally Britain.

"The relations between us and the United States and the United Kingdom (are) going to improve much more than" they were, he said.

"We think that by the actions we are taking we are just demonstrating how much we are interested in having a peaceful world and peaceful good relations with countries, including the United States."

Mr Ghanem, however, said the strict rules concerning weapons disarmament and disclosure that Libya is willing to face should also apply to America's closest Middle East ally, Israel.

"Since a long time ... we are calling that the Middle East should be free from weapons of mass destruction," he said when asked if Israel should apply global non-proliferation protocols to its nuclear weapons program, which the Jewish state is widely believed to possess but refuses to admit or deny exists.