IAEA: Evidence of Egyptian nuke program

[Rudey]

Jan. 4, 2005 18:10 | Updated Jan. 4, 2005 18:16
IAEA: Evidence of Egyptian nuke program
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

VIENNA, Austria

The UN atomic watchdog agency has found evidence of secret nuclear experiments in Egypt that could be used in weapons programs, diplomats said Tuesday.

The diplomats told The Associated Press that most of the work was carried out in the 1980s and 1990s but said the watchdog - the International Atomic Energy Agency - is also looking at evidence that suggests some were as recent as a year ago.

Specifically, said one of the diplomats, the Egyptians "tried to produce various components of uranium" without declaring it to the IAEA, as they were bound to under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

-Rudey