Historical Libya Signing Safeguards Additional Protocol

Mr. Matooq Mohamed Matooq, Assistant Secretary for Services Affairs of the General People’s Committee of the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and IAEA Director General, Mohamed ElBaradei, signed Libya’s Additional Protocol to its Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) safeguards agreement at the Agency headquarters in Vienna, Austria. 10 March 2004

The Protocol grants IAEA inspectors broader rights of access to sites in the country allowing them to provide assurance about both declared and possible undeclared activities. Libya has stated its intention to act as if the protocol is already in place, pending its formal entry into force.

Dr. ElBaradei said signing the Protocol was an indication of Libya's commitment to move away from weapons of mass destruction. "It will allow the Agency to verify that nuclear activities in Libya are used only for peaceful purposes." Libya would continue to reap the full benefits of nuclear applications for peaceful uses such as energy, agriculture and medicine

Photo Credit: Dean Calma / IAEA

IAEA: Pierre Goldschmidt, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Safeguards

Oli Heinonen, IAEA Director, Department of Safeguards

Ian Biggs, Special Assistant for Policy, Office of the Director General

Vilmos Cserveny, IAEA Director, Office of External Relations and Policy Co-ordination

Mark Gwozdecky, IAEA Director, Division of Public Information