Libya to Keep Some Nuclear Capacity

According to the United Nation's nuclear watchdog chief, Mohamed ElBaradei, Libya wants to keep some nuclear capabilities for civilian purposes after it finishes dismantling its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction. "They want to keep their research reactor, which is legitimate," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head ElBaradei told reporters after meeting Libyan Foreign Minister Abdulrahman Mohammed Shalgam.

He said the agency would support this once Libya "eliminates the military related programs" as it promised in an agreement with the United States and Britain on December 19.

The IAEA is the international community's lead verification agency for nuclear matters but the United States and Britain have been carrying out the actual removal and destruction of the Iranian WMD programs.