Revelations on Monday that Libya has not yet rid itself of an estimated 1,000 tons of uranium went ignored, amid fears that the country is sitting on a nuclear stockpile it promised to dismantle back in 2003.
The French Ambassador to Malta Jean-Marc Rives has so far declined to state what guarantees the French government will give Malta over nuclear safety and proliferation threats, after French president Nicolas Sarkozy signed a memorandum of understanding with Libya involving the possible construction of a nuclear reactor for civilian purposes – allegedly for desalination of sea water.
The embassy has so far claimed it will only answer “when and how we deem appropriate” despite various press reports over concerns of handing over nuclear technology to Libya. 
The nuclear deal was greeted with surprising appeasement by Malta’s foreign minister Michael Frendo and his Labour counterpart Leo Brincat, who both claimed Libya had renounced its weapons of mass destruction programme.
Leo Brincat went further in stating he saw no reason why Libya should be treated differently from other countries, “particularly when it already showed its deep commitment to honour its international obligations after abandoning its plans to develop weapons of mass destruction.”
The US government’s position on the nuclear deal is unclear for the time being. “We have not seen the agreement between France and Libya on civil nuclear technology. We understand there has been some discussion,” the American embassy’s Charge d’Affaires Jason Davis told MaltaToday.
Davis yesterday also said Libya had yet to sell its stockpile of uranium yellowcake ore, but added the country was “fully transparent in declaring its stockpile”.
“It was agreed that this yellowcake, which does not constitute a threat in itself, would remain until Libya could sell it to a legitimate purchaser. It’s our understanding that Libya has been in discussion with potential buyers... In order to fully close the book on the previous chapter of US-Libyan relations, we continue to encourage Libya to sell the yellowcake at the earliest possible date it can find a legitimate purchaser.”
Davis said the US government welcomed “all benefits the international community extends to Libya as a result of its historic decision to rid itself of its WMD programmes, and will continue to work with Libya to fully implement its commitments.”
The revelation that Libya allegedly has not yet complied with the international agreement to get rid of its supply of uranium is an embarrassment to the French government’s rushed nuclear deal with Colonel Muammar Ghaddafi’s regime, after having secured the release of the six Bulgarian and Palestinian medics accused of infecting children with HIV.
Nuclear experts said on Monday the uranium is said to be stored at a military base at the desert town of Sabha and is estimated to be valued at EUR300 million (Lm127m). The Sabha base was mentioned in a 2004 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), allegedly used as a chemical weapons facility.
Uranium can be enriched to make nuclear weapons. It will be yet another bargaining chip in the hands of the North African dictator after four years of delays in handing over his nuclear stockpile to the IAEA.
The Maltese government is said to be following developments on the issue but has so far stopped short of expressing concern at news that France is planning to provide Libya with a nuclear reactor.
In Malta, the Green Party accused the French president of being “more of a salesman rather than a statesman”, saying France had ignored the security concerns of the Maltese citizens and acted solely in the interests of its nuclear industry.
Critics have decried the lack of transparency surrounding the deal, after the son of Muammar Ghaddafi, Seif al Islam, also disclosed a EUR260 millions arms deal for anti-tank missiles with French arms firm EADS.

mvella@mediatoday.com.mt

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NEWS | Wednesday, 15 August 2007

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