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NKorea agrees to give key nuclear complex records: report
Washington (AFP) May 1, 2008 North Korea has tentatively agreed to give the United States voluminous records from its key nuclear complex to back an expected declaration of its atomic program, a US newspaper reported Thursday. But the White House said it had no new information from the hardline communist nation on when it might provide the declaration, which was due by December 31, 2007 as part of a six-nation, aid-for-denuclearization deal. "I don't think it's something that you can put a timeframe on. Sooner is better than later, and that's what our negotiators are working toward," spokesman Tony Fratto said when asked how long Washington was willing to wait. The Washington Times, quoting administration and congressional officials, reported Thursday that Pyongyang has "tentatively agreed to give the United States thousands of records from its key Yongbyon nuclear reactor dating back to 1990." They were "to complement an expected declaration of its nuclear programs," it said. A US State Department official declined to comment on the report but noted that a US team visited Pyongyang last week to discuss the declaration and ways to verify it. The United States is seeking access to records of the plutonium-producing Yongbyon reactor, as well as samples from toxic waste and the destruction of a "cooling tower" at the Yongbyon complex in response to criticism that it is lowering the bar in negotiations with Pyongyang, the Times quoted officials as saying. "The administration is trying to work out the arrangements necessary to verify the accuracy of the North Korean declaration," one official said. Last year, North Korea said that it possessed about 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of plutonium, much less than US intelligence had estimated, reports said. The North, which blasted a nuclear bomb in October 2006, shut down the Yongbyon plant and is in the process of disabling it under a deal reached with the United States, China, the two Koreas, Japan and Russia. The final phase of completely dismantling the plant and surrendering all nuclear material will be implemented after it hands over the declaration. In return for total denuclearization it would receive energy aid, a lifting of bilateral sanctions, the establishment of diplomatic relations with the US and a formal peace treaty. The United States says the declaration also must clear up suspicions about an alleged secret uranium enrichment program and North Korea's suspected involvement in the construction of a nuclear plant in Syria. The North denies both activities. Under a reported tentative deal, it will merely "acknowledge" US concerns about the two issues in a confidential document to the United States. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
US says it does not trust North Korea
Washington (AFP) April 26, 2008A day after accusing North Korea of helping Syria build a covert nuclear reactor, the United States said it did not trust the hardline communist state, which is negotiating to end its atomic weapons drive. |
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