Traces of Uranium Found in Libya

International inspectors said in a confidential report Friday that they had discovered traces of uranium suitable for nuclear weapons in Libya that were similar to contamination found last year in Iran.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said in the report that small particles of weapons-grade uranium were found on components for centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium for nuclear reactors or bombs.

The components arrived in Libya from Pakistan in December 2002 and were purchased through an international nuclear smuggling ring headed by Abdul Qadeer Khan, a Pakistani scientist.

Similar contamination was found last year at three locations in Iran, which is also suspected of having received nuclear technology through Khan’s network.

A copy of the confidential report was provided to the Los Angeles Times by a Western diplomat who requested anonymity.

The document, written by Mohamed ElBaradei, the director of the atomic agency, also said that a university in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, had “a research laboratory and associated equipment that would be of some use for supporting nuclear weapon related research and development.”

The report said that the agency had not yet been able to verify claims by Libya that it did not engage in direct research aimed at building a nuclear bomb. The Khan network sold Libya old Chinese designs for a nuclear bomb in late 2001 or early 2002, according to the report and intelligence officials.

Early this year, Libya opened its doors to IAEA inspectors after declaring that it was abandoning its nuclear ambitions. The decision came after secret talks with the U.S. and Britain. Since then, inspectors have uncovered a smuggling ring that reached from Southeast Asia to Africa and Europe, with Khan at its helm.

The discovery of the weapons-grade uranium on centrifuge components delivered from Pakistan in late 2002 could support Iran’s claims that similar traces on its machines had come from the previous owners in Pakistan.

Iran has said that it is pursuing a civilian nuclear program, but the Bush administration has accused it of trying to develop nuclear weapons.

The discovery of weapons-grade uranium had been part of the evidence cited by the administration.

The IAEA is expected to release a report on Iran’s progress next week.

Although Iran is urging the agency to declare it in compliance with international regulations, a diplomat familiar with the upcoming report said it is unlikely to bring the controversy over Iran’s intentions to a close.

The reach of Khan’s network also remains an open issue.

The atomic agency continues to investigate the sources of Libya’s nuclear technology, the Libya report said.