WASHINGTON, Feb 28: US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said that discoveries in Libya led American and British investigators to Dr A.Q. Khan's network of nuclear proliferators.

In an ongoing testimony in Congress, which resumes on Monday, Mr Powell said on Friday that Col Qadhafi's decision to open Libya's nuclear programme for inspection allowed experts from the United States and Britain to learn about Dr Khan's network.

"We have possession of quite a bit of it (Libya's nuclear equipment) and we learned a great deal about A.Q. Khan and the other proliferators in the world," Mr Powell told the US Senate.

He said when Col Qadhafi decided "this is the wrong way to go, and got in touch with us and our friends from the United Kingdom, an arrangement was worked out."

"He (Qadhafi) is cooperating fully in giving up these programmes. Much of the material that he acquired is being sent back out of the country. And we hope that this will be a signal to other countries around the world that it is fool's gold; it is ridiculous to invest in these kinds of technologies," said Mr Powell.

He said acquiring such technologies would not scare the US or its coalition partners. "All you're doing is denying yourselves the opportunity for a better relationship with the United States and with the rest of the civilized world."

Mr Powell said the US and British intelligence agencies worked together for years to "uncover one particular nefarious network, that of Mr A.Q. Khan".

"Men and women of our own and other intelligence services, especially the United Kingdom, were able to understand that network and provide information about A.Q. Khan to other nations. And we now know that he was providing - that network of his were providing nuclear technology and information to Libya, Iran, and to North Korea."

Mr Powell urged the international community to take measures to strengthen the world's efforts against networks such as A.Q. Khan and others who would proliferate weapons of mass destruction, knowledge and technology around the world.

"We are hard at work on that. We've seen results," he added.