VIENNA, 23 February 2004 — UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed El-Baradei will visit Libya today at a time when revelations from the North African state are helping unravel an international smuggling ring in atomic weapons equipment and technology.
"I would think he is going in order to get additional information on sources of foreign procurement," Gary Samore, a non-proliferation expert at London's International Institute for Strategic Studies told AFP.
El-Baradei's visit today and tomorrow will be the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency head's second to Libya since Tripoli pledged two months ago to dismantle its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction, an IAEA spokesman said.
"It's bound to be a positive trip. The Libyans are determined to make this disarmament a success. A lot of information is now coming out through other sources. There is not much reason for the Libyans to hold back," Samore said.
A Western diplomat close to the IAEA said "things have been moving very smoothly" in disarming Libya since it agreed on Dec. 19 with Britain and the United States to give up its drive to have weapons of mass destruction.
