Report: N. Korea may have sold uranium

WASHINGTON -- U.S. intelligence agencies and government scientists have come up with strong evidence that North Korea sold processed uranium to Libya, apparently to assist the North African country in nuclear weapons development, an administration official said Wednesday.

The materials were detected in Libya's shipments of weapons-related materials to the United States after the country agreed to dismantle its nuclear arms program in late 2003, said the official, asking not to be identified.

The official said he was uncertain as to whether U.S. officials ever asked the Libyans about the country of origin of its nuclear materials.

The possibility of North Korea's export of nuclear materials and technology has long been a concern of the United States. The reclusive communist state is known to have sold missiles to Iran and Syria in past years.

The story about the alleged dealings between North Korea and Libya was first reported by The New York Times. It has previously been reported that Libya relied on the A.Q. Kahn network in Pakistan for nuclear materials.

www.boston.com...

Here is more proof of why the UN needs to get out of the US. IAEA has screwed up yet again. How did they "miss" this one?

Is that the same intelligence that said there was WMD in Iraq???

Originally posted by The Todd
Is that the same intelligence that said there was WMD in Iraq???

No we are in possession of uranium that was handed over by Libya when they decided to come clean and abandon their nuclear program.

The problem is that it may have come from Pakistan though:

The Bush administration's claim this week that North Korea appears to have been the supplier of converted uranium to Libya is based on evidence that could just as easily point to Pakistan, a key U.S. ally, as the source, according to analysts and officials familiar with the data.

Washington Post

Originally posted by The Todd
Is that the same intelligence that said there was WMD in Iraq???

With 20 years of data, the intel of almost every country, and the UN saying Iraq had WMD's. The real question is "where are they now?" You "intellectually challenged" that keep this "haha there were no WMD's" thing with Iraq are pretty pathetic.

Originally posted by DrHoracid
Here is more proof of why the UN needs to get out of the US. IAEA has screwed up yet again. How did they "miss" this one?

If there had been no IAEA how would this have been prevented?
Who would have been in charge of preventing this?

Originally posted by DrHoracid
With 20 years of data, the intel of almost every country, and the UN saying Iraq had WMD's. The real question is "where are they now?" You "intellectually challenged" that keep this "haha there were no WMD's" thing with Iraq are pretty pathetic.

actually if you look at the case that bush and co gave leading up to the war you can actually deduce that it was a fabrication from the distortions of the truth and misleading evidence they gave.

Give John W. Dean's book, "Worse Than Watergate" a read, a book that will shock you and written by a person who had an incredible role in american history. A great read.

thanks,
drfunk

[edit on 3-2-2005 by drfunk]

Originally posted by AceOfBase

Originally posted by DrHoracid
Here is more proof of why the UN needs to get out of the US. IAEA has screwed up yet again. How did they "miss" this one?

If there had been no IAEA how would this have been prevented?
Who would have been in charge of preventing this?

Obviously no one did "stop" it, so it is left to the US to fix it. IAEA is and has been a waste of billions of dollars and a waste of "security" in that it has compromised the world's security. Everyone looks to these incompetent nimrods to keep the world "safe", truth is I think the IAEA is undermining the security of the world through its corruption.

Here's what the IAEA and Mohammad El Baradei is:



Cox & Forkum

>_< and >_< again!

Are you THAT worried that America is going to go to war with everyone on the globe? You want to know something? You can fuss, complain, b****, moan and cry, but what countries are fighting FOR Iraq agianst America. Apparantly, some people really don't care, lol....

Remember I am NOT SERIOUS:
"I'm not in favor of this war," says France or any othercountry complaining right now. *goes hides behind bunker in fright of both America and terrorists* Please, declare war on us, and stop us from taking over your country. We were on the winning sides of the last 2 WW. In fact, I seem to remember the sides we were on would have lost if it wasn't for the US.
:Again, I was NOT SERIOUS: ooooo...gives me an idea for a thread on BTS.

What was the point?

My point, complaining, in and of itself does NOTHING, for either side, really.

Just because someone may or may not have been wrong about WMD, that doesn't make them wrong about EVERY OTHER SINGLE THING THEY DO. You have doubts about the authentacy of thier claims, you go looking it up for yourslef, lol... I thought that was the whole point to this site

Originally posted by DrHoracid
Obviously no one did "stop" it, so it is left to the US to fix it.

I really dislike this arrogant sentiment.

Who is responsible for North Korea getting nuclear technology in the first place?

The US.

Ironic really isn’t it.

The first 3 links I came across:

www.dailytimes.com.pk...
www.indybay.org...
www.swissinfo.org...

Originally posted by Clandestine

Originally posted by DrHoracid
Obviously no one did "stop" it, so it is left to the US to fix it.

I really dislike this arrogant sentiment.

If you want to start this "idiocy" then look to the Clinton Admin and MAD Albright. They made a deal with N Korea..........................There was already a big push by NK before even then. IAEA was lost and is still lost...

[edit on 3-2-2005 by DrHoracid]

Originally posted by DrHoracid
If you want to start this "idiocy" then look to the Clinton Admin and MAD Albright. They made a deal with N Korea

You always seem to turn a debate into a partisan issue. It’s really boring.

I wasn’t pointing my finger at the Bush admin, I was pointing at the US in general.

Originally posted by Clandestine

Originally posted by DrHoracid
If you want to start this "idiocy" then look to the Clinton Admin and MAD Albright. They made a deal with N Korea

You always seem to turn a debate into a partisan issue. It’s really boring.

I wasn’t pointing my finger at the Bush admin, I was pointing at the US in general.

Well if it hadn't been for Carter and Clinton the world would be much safer. So sorry to bore you......................there are so many posts on this site is anti-bush...anti-america. I find your "boredom" boring.......

Here is more proof of why the UN needs to get out of the US. IAEA has screwed up yet again. How did they "miss" this one?

maybe the same way they "missed" it when israel acquired uranium for its nukes.. has the nuclear proliferator responsible for that ever been brought to "justice" anyway? damn the un, i think you're right, they make the world unsafe.

Originally posted by DrHoracid
Well if it hadn't been for Carter and Clinton the world would be much safer. So sorry to bore you......................there are so many posts on this site is anti-bush...anti-america.

You are obviously a die-hard conservative, it’s a shame you can’t see past this political BS.

I notice you have still failed to comment on the US being responsible for North Korea having nuclear reactors.

I find your "boredom" boring.......

Good one

Israel is not a signatory to the NPT.

Originally posted by Clandestine

Originally posted by DrHoracid
Well if it hadn't been for Carter and Clinton the world would be much safer. So sorry to bore you......................there are so many posts on this site is anti-bush...anti-america.

You are obviously a die-hard conservative, it’s a shame you can’t see past this political BS.

I notice you have still failed to comment on the US being responsible for North Korea having nuclear reactors.

I find your "boredom" boring.......

Good one

OK, to answer your question. ABB, a german company, built the reactors. N Korea used money provided by Clinton the great.

Still bored though............ You might find my political views disturbing. Conservatives under GW are too liberal................

Originally posted by DrHoracid
N Korea used money provided by Clinton the great.

Therefore which country is responsible?

You might find my political views disturbing.

Not disturbing, blinkered.

By the way, ABB is a Swiss based company.

To directly answer your questions try this ....

"History
North Korea maintains uranium mines with an estimated four million tons of exploitable high-quality uranium ore. Information on the state and quality of their mines is lacking, but it is estimated that the ore contains approximately 0.8% extractable uranium. In the mid-1960s, it established a large-scale atomic energy research complex in Yongbyon and trained specialists from students who had studied in the Soviet Union. Under the cooperation agreement concluded between the USSR and the DPRK, a nuclear research center was constructed near the small town of Yongbyon. In 1965 a Soviet IRT-2M research reactor was assembled for this center. From 1965 through 1973 fuel (fuel elements) enriched to 10 percent was supplied to the DPRK for this reactor.

In the 1970s it focused study on the nuclear fuel cycle including refining, conversion and fabrication. In 1974 Korean specialists independently modernized Soviet IRT-2M research reactor in the same way that other reactors operating in the USSR and other countries had been modernized, bringing its capacity up to 8 megawatts and switching to fuel enriched to 80 percent. Subsequently, the degree of fuel enrichment was reduced. In the same period the DPRK began to build a 5 MWe research reactor, what is called the "second reactor." In 1977 the DPRK concluded an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA], allowing the latter to inspect a research reactor which was built with the assistance of the USSR.

The North Korean nuclear weapons program dates back to the 1980s. In the 1980s, focusing on practical uses of nuclear energy and the completion of a nuclear weapon development system, North Korea began to operate facilities for uranium fabrication and conversion. It began construction of a 200 MWe nuclear reactor and nuclear reprocessing facilities in Taechon and Yongbyon, respectively, and conducted high-explosive detonation tests. In 1985 US officials announced for the first time that they had intelligence data proving that a secret nuclear reactor was being built 90 km north of Pyongyang near the small town of Yongbyon. The installation at Yongbyon had been known for eight years from official IAEA reports. In 1985, under international pressure, Pyongyang acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). However, the DPRK refused to sign a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an obligation it had as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

www.fas.org...

So no it wasn't the US that provided NK its nuke program...........

Originally posted by djohnsto77
Israel is not a signatory to the NPT.

NK was a signatory only from 94 to 02 so I’m at a loss as to how the IAEA is culpable here.