Libya converts small amount of plutonium

Using technology and know-how acquired through the black market, Libya was able to process uranium into plutonium, the UN nuclear watchdog said today.

Diplomats citing a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency said the North African was able to “separate a small amount of plutonium.”

The report did not specify the amount, but it appeared to be less than the seven pounds required to make a nuclear bomb.

The report was prepared by IAEA Director General Mohamed El Baradei ahead of a board of governors’ meeting of the agency next month. A separate report on Iran is due in the next few days.

Revelations in the confidential report that Libya was able to process plutonium, which is used in nuclear warheads, shed new light on how far the country was able to progress in its secret weapons programme.

Libya announced in December it had engaged in researching programs of mass destruction and promised to scrap them. While US and British intelligence had spoken of a fairly advanced programme, the IAEA initially described Libya’s nuclear activities as at the beginning stage.