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North korea to halt nuclear weapons program Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
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Bush Calls North Korea Inspections a `Positive Step' (Update2)
Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush said North Korea's agreement to give up its nuclear arsenal and rejoin a global treaty to halt the spread of such weapons is ``a positive step'' that must be documented.
``We expect there to be a verifiable process'' for United Nations inspections, Bush said after meeting with his Cabinet today at the White House.
North Korea vowed to dismantle its arms and admit UN inspectors to verify closure of nuclear facilities, according to a statement signed in Beijing with the U.S., China, South Korea, Japan and Russia. The U.S. promised not to attack North Korea and affirmed it had no nuclear weapons in the South.
The agreement ends a three-year dispute and eases tension with a nation that, along with Iran and Iraq, Bush identified as an ``axis of evil'' in his 2003 State of the Union address. Discord with Iran persists as the U.S. and its European allies press the Islamic Republic to end its nuclear ambitions.
The U.S. dropped its insistence that North Korea give up all atomic energy programs in return for a nuclear weapons-free Korean peninsula and United Nations' access to the country. The agreement mirrors a 1994 accord between North Korea and the international community to halt nuclear weapons development in return for economic and energy assistance.
U.S. Concessions
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice downplayed the U.S. concession. The U.S., facing parallel proliferation problems with North Korea and Iran, hoped to prevent both from having any nuclear-production capability. The U.S. yielded on Iran after objections from Russia, the main contributor to construction of a nuclear power plant at Bushehr.
The issue with North Korea also was whether to allow it to have a civilian nuclear reactor. Talks broke down several weeks ago over this point; the U.S. ultimately agreed to remain open to the possibility.
Rice, speaking to reporters at the UN, stressed that the agreement stipulates that North Korea would first have to dismantle its nuclear weapons program, rejoin the non- proliferation treaty and agree to safeguards determined by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog.
A light-water reactor for North Korea ``is until then not a question for the agenda,'' Rice said. ``This issue about peaceful nuclear issues is down the road.''
Energy Aid
The U.S. and its partners in the negotiations agreed to provide energy in return for North Korea giving up its arms.
South Korea reaffirmed its offer to provide 2 million kilowatts of electricity across the inter-Korean border, according to the joint statement. In Vienna, IAEA said it would help the country rejoin the global treaty limiting nuclear arms.
``All six parties emphasized that to realize the inspectable non-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the target of the six-party talks,'' the joint statement said. ``The Democratic People's Republic of Korea promised to drop all nuclear weapons and current nuclear programs and to get back to the non- proliferation treaty as soon as possible and to accept inspections'' from the IAEA.
The six nations agreed to resume negotiations in November to complete details of the agreement.
`Fundamental Right'
``I think the U.S. could not disagree with a country's fundamental right to use peaceful nuclear energy,'' said Koh Yu Hwan, a professor at Dongguk University in Seoul. ``On the other hand, the U.S. has managed to cede an agreement by North Korea to return to the non-proliferation treaty and to accept international inspection, thus taking the right steps toward the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.''
The U.S. expects North Korea to ``move promptly,'' Hill said at the briefing. The North's Yongbyon reactor should be closed ``now,'' U.S. chief negotiator Christopher Hill said.
The U.S. has insisted North Korea scrap partially built facilities at Shinpo and dismantle existing reactors, including the one in Yongbyon from which North Korea this year extracted 8,000 spent fuel rods, a first step in processing plutonium that can arm warheads.
Construction on the internationally funded light-water reactors came to a halt after North Korea admitted in October 2002 that it had broken a 1994 agreement with the U.S. that it would cease its nuclear weapons development program. The Kim Jong Il regime kicked out nuclear inspectors and withdrew from a nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
As the agreement on North Korea was struck, Iran today agreed to allow stepped-up inspections by UN atomic experts.
Iran claims the right to enrich uranium, which can be used to generate energy or make an atomic bomb. The U.S. and its European allies want Iran to give up uranium enrichment, citing the country's 20-year history of hidden nuclear activities.
Rice said she expected Iran to be referred to the UN Security Council, where it may face economic sanctions ``at some point.''
Last Updated: September 19, 2005 15:05 EDT
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