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U.S. Tests on Libyan Nuclear Material Inconclusive on Link to North Korea, Some Experts Say
Some experts have argued that the conclusions of U.S. tests on confiscated Libyan nuclear materials — indicating that North Korea was the source of some of the program’s uranium gas — are inconclusive and could point to Pakistan as the source, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, Feb. 2). “To come to this conclusion, you need a sample from North Korea and no one has a uranium sample from North Korea,” said one official investigating the black market nuclear network of Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan and Libya’s abandoned WMD programs. “The Pakistanis won’t allow any samples of their [uranium hexafluoride gas], either.” The gas, also known as UF6, can be processed for use in a nuclear weapon. The International Atomic Energy Agency, which conducted tests on the same materials examined by the United States, has concluded that potential links between the North Korean and Libyan programs are inconclusive, according to the Post. In 2003, Libya requested 20 tons of UF6 but received only 1.6 tons from the Khan network, according to the Post. Pakistan informed IAEA and U.S. officials investigating the network that North Korea was the source of the uranium shipment. Khan’s partner, Buhary Syed Abu Tahir, however, told U.S. intelligence that Pakistan was the source, the Post reported. Some investigators suspect that North Korea may have sold raw uranium to Pakistan, which converted it to UF6 and then sold it to Libya. “We can’t exclude the possibility that the UF6 was made in Pakistan,” said David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security. Albright added, however, that it remains a possibility that North Korea was the source. It might be possible, for example, that Pyongyang produced the gas, then sold it to Pakistan, which in turn supplied it to Libya, according to the Post. “That has been a theory since last spring,” he said. “What amazes me is why this is coming out again now, and the timing has to make one suspicious that the information is being used to pressure allies to take a tougher line with North Korea” (Kessler/Linzer, Washington Post, Feb. 3). South Korean officials denied speculation that U.S. envoy Michael Green traveled to Seoul this week to discuss the uranium sale evidence, the Yonhap news agency reported. “He is here for consultations on how to reopen the six-party talks at an early date and other bilateral issues,” said one official (Yonhap, Feb. 3). Meanwhile, a North Korean diplomat in New York was quoted by Yonhap as saying that Pyongyang needed time to respond to U.S. President George W. Bush’s apparent encouragement of nuclear negotiations in his State of the Union address last night before deciding to resume talks, Agence France-Presse reported. Bush said the United States is “working closely with governments in Asia to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions” (see related GSN story, today). “We watched his speech, which we think is no big deal, but we need time to respond,” Yonhap quoted the diplomat as saying (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Feb. 3). South Korea today welcomed Bush’s tone, the Associated Press reported. “We assess that President Bush’s speech reflected Washington’s will to resolve the North’s nuclear issue through a peaceful and diplomatic way,” South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Now, it’s time for North Korea to make a positive response and for us to resume the six-party talks soon and make concrete progress for the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue,” it said. Analysts predicted the lack of antagonistic rhetoric would help restart the talks. “The United States appears to have carefully prepared the speech so as not to give North Korea an excuse for not coming to the six-party talks,” said Kim Sung-han of Seoul’s Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (Soo-Jeong Lee, Associated Press/Washington Post, Feb. 3). The United States yesterday urged Pyongyang to resume six-party talks, adding that its nuclear program poses “a threat to global peace,” AFP reported. “North Korea’s nuclear programs and nuclear weapons programs and its past and continuing proliferation activities are a threat to global peace and security,” said White House spokesman Scott McClellan. McClellan refused to comment on reports of the alleged uranium sales to Libya (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Feb. 2). Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung yesterday urged the United States to make a specific offer to North Korea of incentives Pyongyang would receive if it scraps its nuclear program, Yonhap reported. “North Korea is now in a desperate situation, economically, socially and internationally,” Kim said. “I believe (the North) will completely give up its nuclear program as long as it is firmly assured of an improvement in its relations with the U.S.” “The U.S. must show its cards ... rather than only imposing its demand for nuclear abandonment,” he said. “The U.S. has not talked about it specifically, only saying there will be a ‘good result.’ This is why North Korea does not trust [the United States]” (Yonhap, Feb. 2).
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