Interesting Source For Nuclear Stuff

Reuters | 2004/01/19

[BillM]

 REUTERS N.Korea, Libya may have European atomic designs-Dutch [DDHNTXS]

By Theo Kolker
AMSTERDAM, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Two Dutch ministers said on
Monday there were "indications" North Korea and Libya may have
acquired potentially arms-related nuclear technology developed
in Europe that Pakistan and Iran are known to possess.
In November, Vienna-based Western diplomats told Reuters the
U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was investigating
whether designs for uranium enrichment centrifuges developed by
the Dutch unit of Urenco, which Tehran acquired from a middleman
in the 1980s, came from inside Pakistan.
The ministers also confirmed what Western diplomats have
told Reuters anonymously -- that this same technology, developed
by the British-Dutch-German Urenco consortium, may have found
its way into Libya and North Korea.
"It is not clear to the (Dutch) government how Iran could
have got hold of this technology," Foreign Minister Bernard Bot
and Economic Affairs Minister Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst said in a
written reply to questions from a Dutch MP.
"There are indications now that, in addition to (Iran and
Pakistan), North Korea and Libya also possess this type of
technology. The IAEA and (the Dutch intelligence service) AIVD
are still investigating this," they wrote.
It is unclear where Libya and North Korea would have
acquired the Urenco technology, though Western diplomats have
told Reuters in Vienna Pakistani individuals may have helped out
both Tripoli and Pyongyang, in addition to Tehran.
The U.S. believes Iran and North Korea want nuclear weapons.
Libya admitted in December that it had a nascent weapons
programme, while Pakistan tested a bomb in 1998.
Urenco's Dutch arm said it was aware of the reports about
its technology having been passed on to these countries, but
said this was taking place outside its control.
"We don't do business with countries such as Iran, Libya and
North Korea," Urenco Netherlands spokesman Willem van der Elst
said.
Enrichment is a process of purifying uranium for use as fuel
in nuclear power plants or as fissile material in a bomb.
Experts say this is the biggest hurdle any country with nuclear
weapons ambitions must overcome.
Urenco has denied providing any government with its
technology. However, the ministers said the IAEA investigations
into the origins of Iran's enrichment technology led to a clear
conclusion.
"It would concern Urenco technology from the 1970s," they
wrote. "The Netherlands has offered full cooperation to the IAEA
to investigate the technology's origins."
Police in Pakistan have questioned a number of Pakistani
nuclear scientists in connection with suspicions they sold Iran
Urenco-based designs, centrifuges and know-how to help Tehran
develop its uranium enrichment programme.
Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman Masood Khan said on
Monday the interrogation of Pakstan's top scientists was nearly
complete.
One of the scientists questioned was Abdul Qadeer Khan, the
father of Pakistan's atomic bomb, who worked at Urenco's Dutch
enrichment unit in the 1970s and was convicted in absentia of
nuclear espionage. This verdict was later overturned.
"We are moving towards the conclusion of these debriefing
sessions," Masood Khan said. He added that eight people were
still being "debriefed", including A.Q. Khan's senior aide
Islam-ul-Haq.
((Writing by Louis Charbonneau, reporting Theo Kolker, editing
by Ralph Boulton; Reuters Messaging:
louis.charbonneau.reuters.com@reuters.net, +43 6642215272))

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