Steve Quayle News Alerts

March 30, 2004
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com

Libya has exchanged nuclear and missile expertise with Egypt, according to evidence found by a British-U.S. team of inspectors.

The evidence confirms U.S. suspicions of secret trade between Cairo and Tripoli in strategic weapons obtained from North Korea, reports Middle East Newsline.

The inspections of Libyan facilities took place in late 2003 and early 2004.

Egypt also might have received nuclear weapons designs from Pakistan, the International Atomic Energy Agency believes, according to Newsline.

The news service notes a Chinese-origin nuclear warhead design sold by Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan was found in Libya.

"The evidence of Egyptian involvement in Libya's missile and nuclear weapons program is highly damaging and most of the doubts we had previously have been resolved," an official told Newsline. "That doesn't mean, however, that there will be imminent repercussions."

Egypt is the annual recipient of about $2 billion in aid from the U.S. aid, and this year the Bush administration has agreed to increase the amount to $2.3 billion.

The officials, who would not give details of the evidence, said Libya was a third-party channel of nuclear and missile technology and components from North Korea, Newsline reported.

Egypt previously had obtained technology directly from Pyongyang, officials said, but the U.S. blocked a shipment of missiles in 2001. Nevertheless, the House subcommittee on terrorism learned a year later Egypt received 24 No-Dong missile engines from North Korea.

"We are still trying to understand the network, to see if other countries have received the [weapons-related] technology, the weapons designs," IAEA director-general Mohamed El Baradei, who did not cite Egypt, said during a visit to Libya Feb. 23. "This is of course an important and urgent concern for us."

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is scheduled to meet with President Bush April 12, but U.S. officials said the Bush administration and previous administrations have been cautious with Egypt about the topic of weapons of mass destruction.

The officials doubted the subject of Cairo's dealings with Tripoli will be brought up.

Egyptian officials were angered by a series of U.S. inquiries in 2002 about possible nuclear and missile ties with Tripoli, prompted by satellite photos.

Egypt is a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and announced last December it canceled plans to build eight nuclear power reactors.

The recent findings by inspectors indicate Egypt was helping Libya develop a missile with a range of more than 600 miles, based on the Korean No-Dong.

"We're just scratching the surface," the U.S. official told Newsline. "There were places that we were not allowed to visit and there were places that we didn't ask to go. This will be a process that will take a long time."

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=37795