North Korea Provided Uranium to Libya

The New York Times reported on May 24 on its Internet site that the nightmare which the U.S. President George W. Bush discussed so often last year - the sale of "the world`s worst weapons to the world`s most dangerous dictators" – might have happened if it is confirmed that North Korea has shipped uranium to Libya which would be used in the production of nuclear weapons.

In an article titled “The North Korean Uranium Challenge,” the New York Times analyzed that North Korea has demonstrated its potential to resort to sales of nuclear weapons, the technology, or the core material to break through its economic difficulties.

The New York Times said, “Even hawks within the administration - a group led by Vice President Dick Cheney – and the president see no major risks that North Korea will lash out at its neighbors or the United States,” and points out that “the chilling possibility of North Korea exporting uranium, however, is a serious problem to the U.S. who has put forth much effort in preventing the proliferation of WMDs.” The New York Times said that “neither the Bush administration nor North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has much incentive to confront the nuclear issue before the presidential election in November,” and that it worried that the “risk is that North Korea could build six or eight more weapons, which will put the North Korea’s nuclear issue in a very different position.”

On the other hand, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s accredited foreign correspondent confirmed on May 23 that the report dated May 22 by the New York Times that the IAEA has acquired evidence of North Korea’s uranium sales to Libya was true. The correspondent, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that the IAEA concluded that North Korea has provided Libya with uranium on the basis of interviews with members of the clandestine network headed by Abdul Qadeer Khan, who were implicated for selling nuclear secrets.