The significance of Qaddafi's decision to open up Libya for WMD inspection by international teams as a result of negotiations with the Bush and Blair administrations has now taken on a whole new dimension. It has been revealed that Libya was cooperating with Iran and North Korea in development of nuclear weapons, and that both countries had "farmed out" significant portions of their nuclear programs to Libya as a way to help avoid detection by the IAEA. Here's an excerpt from an article in The Sunday Herald: (link via Parapundit)
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi took the decision to renounce all weapons of mass destruction (WMD) on Friday night, but while at first it was thought this only had implications for Libya it is now clear that his decision has scuppered a secret partnership between Libya, Iran and North Korea formed with the intention of developing an independent nuclear weapon.New documents revealed yesterday show that the three were working on the nuclear weapons programme at a top-secret underground site near the Kufra Oasis of the Sahara in southeastern Libya. The team was made up of North Korean scientists, engineers and technicians, as well as some Iranian and Libyan nuclear scientists.
The news can only be good for the Americans and others concerned with the proliferation of nuclear weapons by rogue states. The opening up of Libya's facilities is a major setback for both Iran and North Korea. More from The Herald:
Iran, which is now in the final stages of uranium enrichment for its program, is badly hit, having counted on fitting into place key parts of its WMD project made in Libya. North Korea may also be forced to scale back the production of nuclear devices as well as counting the loss of a lucrative source of income for its Scuds and nuclear technology.