LONDON: Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi was prepared to leave highly enriched uranium potentially unprotected and at risk of hijack in a fit of pique aimed at the UN, US cables revealed by WikiLeaks showed Friday.
British newspaper The Guardian said the leaked secret diplomatic cables showed that seven metal casks sealed only for transport, not for storage, were left at a Libyan nuclear facility with a single armed guard in November 2009.
Scientists warned that the 5.2 kilogrammes (11.4 pounds) of uranium in the casks was highly radioactive and rapidly heating up, making it liable to crack the containers and leak into the atmosphere.
The New York Times, which also published the cables, said the US embassy in Tripoli reported: "If the enriched uranium is not removed from the casks within three months, its rising temperature could cause the casks to crack and to release radioactive nuclear material."
US and Russian diplomats frantically lobbied Libyan officials to allow a Russian plane, which had been due to arrive at the Tajoura facility to pick up the casks, to land, but clearance was refused.
British newspaper The Guardian said the leaked secret diplomatic cables showed that seven metal casks sealed only for transport, not for storage, were left at a Libyan nuclear facility with a single armed guard in November 2009.
Scientists warned that the 5.2 kilogrammes (11.4 pounds) of uranium in the casks was highly radioactive and rapidly heating up, making it liable to crack the containers and leak into the atmosphere.
The New York Times, which also published the cables, said the US embassy in Tripoli reported: "If the enriched uranium is not removed from the casks within three months, its rising temperature could cause the casks to crack and to release radioactive nuclear material."
US and Russian diplomats frantically lobbied Libyan officials to allow a Russian plane, which had been due to arrive at the Tajoura facility to pick up the casks, to land, but clearance was refused.
[PTI] In a bid to strengthen their military ties, Ukraine has offered to jointly develop a medium weight transport aircraft with India. “Ukraine has offered to jointly produce a 10-12 tonne class weight aircraft with us based on their already existing Antonov-148 commercial aircraft and the proposal is being considered by the government,” defence ministry officials told PTI. The payload carrying capacity of the proposed aircraft — An-178, offered by the Ukrainians to the Indian Air Force, will be between that of the C-130J and the force’s workhorse An-32 aircraft, they added.
