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U.S., Russia Remove More HEU from Libya
The United States and Russia have removed another 6.6 pounds of highly enriched uranium from Libya, boosting the total to 44 pounds shipped out of the country since Tripoli gave up its WMD programs in 2003, Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, July 25). “Libya’s cooperation and commitment was key to this joint nonproliferation effort. It is a clear indication of Libya’s continued commitment to rid itself of weapons of mass destruction and proliferation-sensitive materials,” Linton Brooks, head of the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration, said in a prepared statement. His agency conducted the HEU removal with Russia and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The material was flown to Russia, where it is to be blended down into low-enriched uranium. About 37 pounds of highly enriched uranium was shipped from Libya in 2004 without a public announcement, a U.S. spokesman said. The recent shipment continued efforts to fully remove Russian-origin highly enriched uranium from Libya, Reuters reported. The Energy Department agency did not disclose the amount that remains in the country. The U.S. Global Threat Reduction Initiative seeks to secure international stores of nuclear and radiological material. Libya has joined Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Uzbekistan, Latvia and the Czech Republic in returning roughly 416 pounds of highly enriched uranium to Russia. Meanwhile, a U.S. official deemed “not credible” the claim this week by Libyan leader Col. Muammar Qadhafi that his country came close to developing nuclear weapons, Reuters reported. Tripoli had the material but lacked the know-how, the official said. “I don’t think Qadhafi was close” (Reuters/Washington Post, July 26).
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