The protocol, signed by Matooq and ElBaradei, allows snap checks of nuclear sites (AFP)

VIENNA, March 10 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Libya signed on Wednesday, March 10, an additional protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), authorizing snap checks on all its nuclear facilities.

The protocol was signed at IAEA headquarters in Vienna by senior Libyan representative Mohamed Matooq, who was formerly in charge of Tripoli's nuclear portfolio, and IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Libya had said in December 2003 that it was abandoning all attempts to develop weapons of mass destruction, after months of secret negotiations with Britain and the United States.

The additional protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is the IAEA's main mechanism for controlling global nuclear activities.

It authorizes inspectors from the IAEA -- the U.N. nuclear watchdog - to carry out snap checks on active nuclear facilities and also on installations outside the scope of the NPT, such as decommissioned reactors, research centers and factories producing material that could be used for a nuclear program.

Earlier on Wednesday, the IAEA's board of governors voted to inform the U.N. Security Council that Tripoli had, in the past, violated its non-proliferation commitments but was now cooperating with the IAEA.

The resolution approved by the board went on to thank Libya "for its active cooperation with the agency since 19 December".

"This cooperation has included the granting of unrestricted access to facilities, the provision of prompt responses to agency questions, and the volunteering of information relevant to the agency's verification responsibilities," it said.

The Libyan decision is the latest in a series of steps taken by Tripoli to open up to the international community, remove long-standing international and U.S. sanctions and clear poisoned relations with the U.S. and Britain.

Libya began the destruction of its chemical weapons on Friday, February 27, one day after the United States lifted a long-imposed travel ban on the Arab country.

The IAEA also pressures Iran to give up its nuclear programs, But Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi said the Islamic Republic threatened to stop cooperating with the IAEA unless it stopped being "influenced by the Americans".

Three Reasons

"The (Libyan had felt that the Arabs are exploiting him, mocking him and threatening him with the U.S. card," Saif ul-Islam (AFP)

In the meantime, Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi's son, Saif ul-Islam, said earlier in the day that  the last December decision was due to three reasons that he said would disclose for the first time.

"The first reason is the political, economic, cultural and military gains that were promised by the Western party with whom we were negotiating; the temptation was really great," Saif ul-Islam told the Arabic-language London-based Al-Hayat newspaper.

"The second reason was that our problems with the West were a danger for us. So, if the West tells us it does not want to fight us and wants instead to build a partnership with us, why should we insist on being hostile to it?," he added.

"Third, and that's the main reason: we were developing weapons in preparation for a battle with the enemy. Then we saw that the Palestinians have achieved in five years of negotiations (with Israel) more than 50 years of armed struggle from Beirut, Tunis and Amman," he said.

Gaddafi's son did not name the "enemy" targeted by Libya's weapons program, but it was understood from the text that he was referring to Israel.

"Add to all this the fact that the leader (Gaddafi) had felt that the Arabs are exploiting him, mocking him and threatening him with the U.S. card, " he said.

Saif ul-Islam said that Washington and London had promised Libya it will reap political, economic and military "gains" if it dismantled its programs.

After formally accepting responsibility for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, Libya signed with families of the victims an agreement to set up a 2.7 billion dollars compensation fund.

In consequence, the Security Council lifted in September 2003 U.N. sanctions on Libya, clearing the way for payments to begin to the families of the victims.