Libya and Russia signed a civil nuclear cooperation deal Saturday, Libya's foreign minister said, as Moammar Gadhafi visited Moscow in a trip also expected to focus on oil and gas and arms purchases.
"A cooperation agreement was signed in the area of the peaceful use of civilian nuclear, particularly in the design and construction of reactors and the supply of nuclear fuel," said Abdelrahman Chalgham, who accompanied Gadhafi.
The deal also extended to nuclear use in medicine and nuclear waste treatment, he said.
Russian officials, however, didn't confirm the accord.
The Kremlin made no comment, and Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no such agreement had been signed during a meeting between Gadhafi and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
The deal was signed by the head of Russia's atomic energy agency, Rosatom, and Libya's head of nuclear energy management, according to sources in the Libyan delegation.
According to Chalgham, the two countries also signed agreements related to calls for the creation of an OPEC-style body for gas-producing countries and on the opening of a direct air connection between Moscow and Tripoli.
Gadhafi had earlier spoke of cooperating on energy issues.
"Cooperation in the gas and oil sphere is extremely important now. We have common approaches to gas and oil policies," the leader of energy-rich Libya told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, speaking through a Russian translator.
"We will discuss economic issues and coordination in the foreign-policy sphere, matters which are very important at the moment," Medvedev said.
Vedomosti newspaper had reported Saturday that Gadhafi may sign a pact on Russian-Libyan nuclear energy cooperation. The newspaper cited a source involved in preparations for his visit.
The source didn't give details, but Russia has reportedly been in talks to build a nuclear power plant in Libya, a longtime pariah that has sought to rejoin the international fold in recent years.
Other expected topics included a multi-billion-dollar deal to upgrade Libya's Soviet-era arsenal and lucrative contracts for Russian firms.
According to Libyan sources in Moscow, Gadhafi is expected to visit Ukraine and Belarus after his visit to Russia.