Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in Vienna Monday that he will visit Libya next week and inspections of suspected nuclear sites in the country may start soon.  

"I'll be going to Libya some time next week with a team of senior experts," ElBaradei told a news conference.

He said he would report Libya's undeclared nuclear activities, including a uranium enrichment program, to the IAEA's governing board on Monday.

"Libyan officials confirmed that Libya will sign an additional protocol to the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty)," he said.

With Tripoli's pledge to sign the additional protocol, IAEA inspectors may take surprise inspections at suspected sites as early as next week, said the head of the UN nuclear watchdog.

Libyan Prime Minister Shukri Mohammed Ghanim told the BBC radio Monday that his country is ready to sign a protocol on snap inspections of its nuclear facilities.

Ghanim replied with "yes" when asked in a telephone interview from Tripoli on whether his country was ready to sign the additional protocol to the NPT, which allows snap inspections of nuclear facilities by the UN nuclear watchdog.

"We are members of the world community. We are agreed to the commitment we are taking in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency," said the prime minister.

Libya announced Friday in a statement that it will scrape all its weapons of mass destruction, adding that it would also quit programs for developing chemical and nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.

(Xinhua News Agency December 23, 2003)