Your understanding is ass-backwards on this subject. The European nations and the IAEA had nothing to do with the discovery of Libya's WMD programs. I've posted several articles on this and another is below.
BTW, you've mentioned Indian intelligence several times. I wouldn't be surprised if Indian intellligence didn't provide intelligence info on this but if so, they provided it to the British not the Europeans. If India was involved, they are keeping that quiet probably to avoid upseting Pakistani relations.
Khan's shady nuke tale: A true spy thriller!
Thursday, February 12 2004 18:12 Hrs (IST)
Washington: The details of the clandestine nuclear proliferation to rogue States by top Pakistani scientist A Q Khan, as revealed by US President George Bush, reads like a spy thriller.
Declaring that the operation was "motivated by greed and fanaticism or both", Bush said the network was pieced together over years by the US and British agents, who monitored and sometimes penetrated the "Khan network".
According to the US President, the network provided Iran, Libya and North Korea with designs for Pakistan's older centrifuges, as well as far more advanced and efficient models.
In the details unveiled by him yesterday (Feb 11, 2004) to mark his new campaign to fight spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), Bush said Khan operated his clandestine nuclear network mostly out of Pakistan serving as its director, its leading scientific mind as well as its primary salesman.
Though based in Pakistan, the details that have emerged reveal that Khan made frequent trips to consult with clients and to sell his expertise.
Clandestinely transferred were blueprints for centrifuges to enrich uranium, nuclear design stolen from Pakistan Government and uranium hexafluroide, the gas that the centrifuges process can transform into enriched uranium for nuclear bombs.
Also provided to rogue States were components as well in some cases complete centrifuges.
For decades, the details reveal that Khan remained on Pakistan Government payroll, earning a modest salary, yet he and his associates financed lavish lifestyles through the sale of nuclear technologies and equipment to outlawed States.
"Our intelligence services gradually uncovered this network's reach and identified its key experts, agents and money men," Bush said.
Operatives followed its transactions, mapped the extent of its operations and monitored the travel of Khan and senior associates.
"They shadowed members of the network around the world. Recorded their conversation. Penetrated their operations and uncovered their secrets. This work involved high risk," the President said.
Bush also named Khan's key deputy in the entire clandestine nuclear network as B S A Tahir, running a computer firm in Dubai as a front and also doubling up as the network's chief financial officer, money launderer and shipping agent.
Tahir used a Malaysian facility to produce parts based on Pakistan's nuclear design, ordered their shipment to Dubai and also arranged for parts acquired by other European procurement agents to transit through Dubai.
Tahir, the key agent was in Malaysia, Bush said, where authorities are investigating his activities, while some of the members of the group are reported to be still at large. The facility has since been closed down, Bush quoted the Malaysian authorities as saying.
In a speech at the National Defence University, Bush said the penetration of the Khan network had led to identification of shipment of advanced centrifuge parts manufactured at the Malaysian facility.
These parts were shipped to Dubai. "We followed and watched as they were transferred to BBC China, a German owned ship.
"The ship passed through the Suez Canal bound for Libya, it was stopped by German and Italian authorities. They found several containers, each 40 feet in length listed on the ships manifest as full of used machines," Bush said. "In fact these containers were filled with sophisticated centrifuges."
The interception of the ship came even as Libyan, British and American officials were discussing the possibility of Libya ending its WMD programmes.
Confronted with this evidence by British and American officials about two months ago, the Libyan leader Maummer Ghadafi voluntarily agreed to end his nuclear and chemical weapons programme and permit inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"We Know", Bush said, that Libya was not the only customer in the Khan network, declaring that these regimes and other proliferators like Khan should know "we and our friends are determined to protect our people and the world from proliferation".</i?
news.indiainfo.com |
