WASHINGTON – The Bush administration is dismissing North Korea’s demand for civilian nuclear reactors, but still appears confident of a final agreement to end that nation’s nuclear weapons program.
Still, the administration and South Korea foresee difficulties.
The next round of negotiations is planned for early November. In the interim, informal discussions among the six negotiating nations – the United States, North Korea, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia – are expected.
“We are going to get this done,” U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill said. He stressed that North Korea must agree to international restraints before its demand can be considered seriously.
In New York, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said “we will not get hung up” on the North Korean statement.
“We can make progress if everybody sticks to what was actually agreed to,” Rice said amid meetings with foreign ministers attending the U.N. General Assembly session. “I think we will just stick with the text of the Beijing agreement to which the North Koreans signed on,” she said.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan, meanwhile, said if North Korea needs some time to reflect on the agreement reached this week, “We’ll give it to them.”
Bush spoke by telephone with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, and they agreed that verification of North Korea’s pledge to abandon its weapons program was critical, McClellan, said.
North Korea said Tuesday it would not dismantle its nuclear weapons program until the United States first provides light-water reactors.
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