Libya link to North Korean uranium is still uncertain 3 Edition

• Published in: International herald tribune
• Main Author: David E. Sanger and William J. Broad
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paris New York Times Company 01.04.2005
• Edition: International edition
• Subjects: WASHINGTON
• ISSN: 0294-8052

The tale of the uranium from Libya is a case study of the trouble in filling in the lines of the nuclear black market. But it is also a very different story from what happened in Iraq, where there were bitter fights about whether Saddam Hussein was building dangerous stockpiles. Here the questions are, who made the uranium found in Libya, who sold it and whether there is more. A European diplomat familiar with the International Atomic Energy Agency investigation of the uranium shipment said a growing number of clues suggested that the source of the uranium was indeed North Korea. "There is a North Korean connection here," the diplomat said. "But what it is exactly is a mystery." "It's not a big step for North Korea to make uranium hexafluoride," said a nuclear scientist who regularly gives consultations to federal intelligence agencies. So far, U.S. officials have not identified for its allies the facility in North Korea that they believe makes uranium hexafluoride.