TRIPOLI – The United States will help Libya develop a civilian nuclear power programme under an accord to be signed shortly, Libya's official news agency Jana said on Monday.

The agreement will include building a nuclear power plant, helping develop Libya's water desalination capacity, setting up joint research and technical projects and training Libyan technicians in the United States, the agency said.

'The General People's Committee authorized on Sunday the General People's Committee for Liaison and International Cooperation to sign the agreement related to Libyan-American cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy,' Jana said, referring to Libya's equivalent of a cabinet and foreign ministry respectively.

In 2003 Libya promised to give up nuclear, chemical and biological arms, but Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi said at the time that he still hoped to develop a nuclear programme for peaceful means.

In the same year, Libya cast off more than a decade of international ostracism by accepting responsibility and starting to pay compensation for the bombing of airliners over Scotland and Niger in 1988 and 1989.

Fears over finite oil and gas supplies and climate change have also pushed nuclear power into the limelight as a way of producing energy and cutting emissions of carbon dioxide, blamed for global warming.

Washington has voiced hopes that Iran and North Korea will follow Libya's example.

Libya announced in February it would work with French nuclear giant Areva to explore for and mine uranium, but did not say if it would be used at home or exported.

Libya has proven oil reserves of 39 billion barrels, enough for 60 years at current production rates. Its largely unexploited gas reserves are estimated at 53 trillion cubic feet.