New York: Amid deadlock over the North Korean nuclear crisis, international nuclear inspectors have discovered that Pyongyang secretly provided Libya nearly two tonnes of uranium in early 2001, and the Americans identified Pakistan as the likely source.

According to reports, a giant cask of "uranium hexafluroide" was handed over to the United States earlier this year as part of Libya's agreement to abandon its nuclear programme, and the authorities identify Pakistan as the likely source.

But strong evidence was found by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) investigators recently that the Uranium came from North Korea, basing its conclusion on interviews of members of the nuclear network set up by disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, a media report quoting US officials and European diplomats said.

If found true, the transaction would be the first known case in which the North Korean Government has sold a key ingredient for manufacturing nuclear weapons to another country.

Two years ago, the US accused North Korea of working on a uranium-based nuclear weapons programme, which would require the same raw materials.

The uranium shipped to Libya could not be used as nuclear fuel unless it was enriched in centrifuges, which the Libyans were constructing as part of a $ 100 million programme to purchase equipment from the Khan network, 'The New York Times' said.