Critics slam France-Libya nuclear deal, experts unfazed

PARIS (AFP) - France came under fire yesterday over its plans to build a reactor in Libya, but proliferation experts dismissed concerns that the deal was tantamount to handing Moamer Kadhafi a nuclear bomb.

An official with France's Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) insisted that international safeguards imposed after Libya scrapped its military nuclear programme would prevent any proliferation, and other experts agreed.

The United States also threw its support behind France.

"I expect ... that the French government would pay full attention to making sure that any safeguard will be implemented in any sort of deal," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

But German Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Gernot Erler said "politically this is a problematic affair."

"Above all the risk of proliferation increases with every country using nuclear energy," he told the Handelsblatt daily.

A memorandum on building the new reactor was signed as French President Nicolas Sarkozy held talks with Libyan leader Kadhafi on Wednesday, a day after Tripoli freed six foreign medics. France played a key role, along with EU officials, in securing their release.

Sortir du Nucleaire (Get Out of Nuclear) grouping public interest organisations said the official reason for the reactor -- to desalinate sea water -- was a "deception" as the civilian and military uses of nuclear technology were "indissociable."

"Delivering civilian nuclear energy to Libya would amount to helping the country, sooner or later, to acquire nuclear weapons," it said.

Rich in oil and gas, Libya is "very amply self-sufficient in energy," the group argued. "If it wishes to diversify, it should logically give priority to solar energy: the country enjoys remarkable levels of sunshine all year long."

Greenpeace France said the deal "poses an enormous problem in terms of nuclear proliferation" and branded it as "in keeping with the French policy of irresponsible export of nuclear technology."

Greenpeace pointed out that previous French presidents had signed nuclear deals with the former shah of Iran, ex-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and with South Africa during the apartheid era.