According to a copy of the draft obtained by The Yomiuri Shimbun, Washington demanded that Pyongyang allow inspectors to enter all North Korean nuclear facilities. Washington also demanded that Pyongyang accept inspections of its nuclear weapons and nuclear development program with highly enriched uranium, which were not specified in its declaration, as well as its cooperation with other countries' nuclear development. North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gwe Gwan, who heads the delegation to the six-nation talks, refused the U.S. demands. He also insisted North Korea be treated as a nuclear power, according to a source in the six-nation negotiations. The source said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the top U.S. chief negotiator in the talks, looked furious at hearing Kim's remark. According to a former senior U.S. government official who was previously involved in the nuclear talks, North Korea still aims to have the United States remove the country from its terrorism blacklist and end its hostile policy toward the country, while keeping its nuclear weapons, so it is out of question for Pyongyang to have its nuclear weapons inspected, the former U.S. official said. Christopher R. Hill, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cameroon.
North Korea playing waiting game aimed at wresting concessions on verification regime
N. Korea playing waiting game / Delaying tactics aimed at wresting concessions on verification regime
Takeo Miyazaki / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent
WASHINGTON--U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's announcement Monday that the United States would postpone removing North Korea from its list of terrorism-sponsoring nations came after Washington and Pyongyang failed to reach an agreement on procedures to verify North Korea's declaration of its nuclear programs.
Previously criticized as having been too lenient toward North Korea on its nuclear program declaration, the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush showed no sign of giving ground on verification procedures.
However, it remains uncertain whether the United States will be able to maintain its hard line against North Korea, which is using delaying tactics with the Bush administration, whose term of office will expire in a little over five months.
North Korea made the about-face over the nuclear negotiation during a meeting of chief negotiators of the six-nation talks held from July 10 to 12 in Beijing, in which the U.S. delegates handed a draft of the verification measures to the North Korean side.
According to a copy of the draft obtained by The Yomiuri Shimbun, Washington demanded that Pyongyang allow inspectors to enter all North Korean nuclear facilities.
Washington also demanded that Pyongyang accept inspections of its nuclear weapons and nuclear development program with highly enriched uranium, which were not specified in its declaration, as well as its cooperation with other countries' nuclear development.
North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gwe Gwan, who heads the delegation to the six-nation talks, refused the U.S. demands. He also insisted North Korea be treated as a nuclear power, according to a source in the six-nation negotiations.
The source said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the top U.S. chief negotiator in the talks, looked furious at hearing Kim's remark.
According to a former senior U.S. government official who was previously involved in the nuclear talks, North Korea still aims to have the United States remove the country from its terrorism blacklist and end its hostile policy toward the country, while keeping its nuclear weapons, so it is out of question for Pyongyang to have its nuclear weapons inspected, the former U.S. official said.
From now on, North Korea will likely pressure Washington to accept its demands by, for example, delaying work to disable its nuclear facilities in Yongbyon, sources in the nuclear talks said.
