TRIPOLI, 28 December 2003 — Libya said yesterday it would sign on to snap UN nuclear inspections allowing short-notice checks of its nuclear sites and said Israel had to begin dismantling its weapons of mass destruction.

“Libya will cooperate and deal with the agency (the IAEA) with complete transparency... and Libya will sign the Additional Protocol.” Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Abderrhmane Chalgam told a news conference through an interpreter.

“This is a clear message to everybody, especially the Israelis, they must start dismantling their weapons of mass destruction,” he added.

The Libyan announcement came as the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog arrived here to begin scrutinizing Libya’s nuclear facilities, saying the country did not seem to have been close to building an atomic bomb.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Mohamed El-Baradei said on his way to take up Libya’s recent offer to open its nuclear facilities there were no signs it had enriched uranium — a step that could be the first move to a bomb.

“From the look of it, they were not close to a weapon, but we need to go and see it and discuss the details with them,” he said in an interview with Reuters on the flight to Tripoli.

“The important thing for me is to get a comprehensive understanding of the program — the origin, its history, its extent, and then agree with the Libyan authorities on a plan of action to eliminate whatever needs to be eliminated that is not linked to peaceful activities.”

Libya said earlier this month it was abandoning plans to build an atomic bomb and other banned weapons.

The move marks an about-face for the Muammar Qaddafi, who seized power 34 years ago in the desert nation of 5.5 million. He now wants trading benefits, including an end to US sanctions, in return.

El-Baradei and his team of nuclear experts were met at Tripoli Airport by what appeared to be several dozen Libyan security and government officials and left in limousines for what IAEA delegates said would be the start of the talks.

Vienna-based diplomats who watch the IAEA said they believed El-Baradei would also meet Qaddafi, who has pledged to let UN experts assess and dismantle banned weapons projects.