Libya disappointed with nuclear display by US

‘‘It looks like unilateral US disarmament of Libya and Libya wants it recognised as disarmament under the nuclear NPT and IAEA auspices,’’ he added. The White House insists the US-led invasion of Iraq — and the example of toppling of Saddam Hussein — played an important part in persuading Libya to disarm. US officials have also sounded out journalists’ interest in a second show —this time of a batch of larger programme parts being shipped from Libya.

The exhibition at the Oak Ridge complex came in a week in which the Bush administration is marking the one-year anniversary of its Iraq invasion.

A Western diplomat in Vienna recently said it was obvious Washington was trying to ‘‘spin’’ Libya’s decision to come clean as the result of the Iraq war — and not as part of a process that began with Tripoli’s decision to accept responsibility for Lockerbie.

He said Libya’s decision was probably influenced by Iraq, but had more to do with a decade and a half of diplomatic isolation and economic sanctions. —(Reuters)