25 February 2004	Wednesday	04 Muharram 1425

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24: Officials from the UN nuclear watchdog may inspect a Malaysian firm as part of investigations into parts and uranium allegedly contacted by Pakistan, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said on Tuesday.

Malaysian police released details last week of an intricate nuclear black market based on accounts from Sri Lankan businessman Buhary Syed Abu Tahir, including how he contracted items from a local company linked to the prime minister's son.

The report cited Tahir as saying how Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan had arranged for enriched uranium to be sent to Libya and sold $3 million of nuclear centrifuge parts to Iran.

Although Dr Khan had already confessed to leaking nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea, the Tahir account added unprecedented detail. Mr Abdullah said the Malaysian firm Scope had nothing to hide, inviting the International Atomic Energy Agency to take a look.

"If the IAEA feel that they want to come here to look at the factory, it is not closed, they can do so, because they have nothing to hide," he told a news conference.

The Malaysian leader's son Kamaluddin Abdullah has a stake in Scope, part of publicly listed Scomi Group Bhd, which says it had no idea what the parts were for. Mr Abdullah said he and his son had not spoken about the matter since the report's release.

Asked whether Washington had sought or would be allowed access to Tahir, who has not been detained for any offence, Mr Abdullah replied: "It's a matter for the police. I'm not here to instruct what's to be done." -Reuters