SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea demanded today that the United States give it a light water nuclear reactor before it rejoins the international Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and ends its weapons program.
The North’s Foreign Ministry made the demand a day after it agreed at six-nation talks in Beijing to give up its arms efforts, rejoin the treaty and accept inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
| Highlights of the agreement issued Monday by six nations participating in North Korean nuclear talks: * North Korea will give up nuclear weapons and nuclear programs, return at an early date to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and submit to International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. * U.S. declares it has no nuclear arms on the Korean peninsula and no intention to attack or invade North Korea. * South Korea reaffirms it won’t deploy nuclear weapons and affirms it has none on its territory. * China, Russia, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan agree to discuss “at an appropriate time” giving North a light-water nuclear reactor. * North Korea, and the U.S. pledge to respect each other’s sovereignty, coexist peacefully, work to normalize relations. * North Korea and Japan agree to work to normalize ties. * China, Russia, South Korea, Japan and the U.S. will give North Korea energy assistance, including electric power from South Korea. Associated Press |
“We will return to the NPT and sign the safeguards agreement with the IAEA and comply with it immediately upon the U.S. provision of LWRs, a basis of confidence-building to us,” the ministry said in the statement, carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.
During the talks, North Korea had demanded that it be given the light water reactor – a type less easily diverted for weapons use – but Washington had said it and other participating countries wouldn’t meet that request.
Both the United States and Japan, members of the six-nation disarmament talks, on Tuesday rejected the North’s latest demand.
“This is not the agreement that they signed and we’ll give them some time to reflect,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
The envoys – from China, Japan, Russia, the United States and the two Koreas – agreed to return in early November to begin hashing out details of how to implement the broad principles outlined in Monday’s agreement.
On Monday, before the North’s latest demand, the Bush administration hailed North Korea’s agreement to shut down its nuclear weapons program but warned that the pledge must be followed by action. “The question is, over time will all parties adhere to the agreement?” President Bush said.
“They have said – in principle – that they will abandon their weapons programs,” Bush said. “And what we have said is, ‘Great. That’s a wonderful step forward.’ But now we’ve got to verify whether that happens.”
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