U.N.- Libya produced plutonium

VIENNA, Austria -- Supplied by the worldwide black market, Libya processed a small amount of plutonium in a nuclear weapons program that remained undetected for 20 years until Tripoli went public with its efforts, the U.N. atomic watchdog agency said Friday.

Citing a confidential report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, diplomats said Libya separated grams of the substance, much less than the nearly 7 pounds required to make a nuclear bomb.

Still, the revelation appeared to reflect a nuclear arms program that was substantially more advanced than the agency initially estimated.

IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei prepared the 10-page report ahead of an agency board of governors' meeting next month, and diplomats shared it with The Associated Press.

Libya announced in December it sought to develop weapons of mass destruction and promised to scrap its research programs. It was one of several moves by Moammar Gadhafi to end Libya's international isolation and shed its image as a rogue nation.

American and British intelligence agencies spoke of a fairly advanced nuclear program, but the IAEA initially described it as being at the beginning stages.

Much of Libya's efforts focused on enriching uranium, the report said. That -- along with producing plutonium -- is one way to develop the nuclear material used in warheads.