ID :
15105
Wed, 08/06/2008 - 12:06
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/15105
The shortlink copeid
U.S. repeats possible postponement of N. Korea's delisting
FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Aug. 6 Kyodo - The United States reiterated Monday that it will postpone its removal of North Korea from its list of terror-sponsoring countries unless a regime for verifying Pyongyang's nuclear declaration is set up.
Dennis Wilder, senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security
Council, signaled the stance to reporters when asked if the United States will
take North Korea off the blacklist on Aug. 11 as earlier planned.
''Unless we have from the North Koreans a verification protocol that is
robust...then August 11th will come and go and there will be no change in the
situation,'' he said.
''It is up to the North Koreans now to come back to us and accept a
verification protocol,'' he said.
Wilder made the remarks to reporters traveling with President George W. Bush
aboard Air Force One en route to Asia. The plane made a stopover in Fairbanks,
Alaska.
Bush notified Congress on June 26 of his intent to remove North Korea from the
blacklist, enabling his administration to call for actual removal on or after
Aug. 10.
Because Aug. 10 falls on Sunday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was
expected to take steps to take that country off the list the following day.
However, it appears difficult for any deal to be struck on the verification
regime by then as hardliners in the North Korean government are opposed to
U.S.-proposed verification methods such as access to any facilities and
sampling of nuclear materials.
The six countries involved in negotiations on ending North Korea's nuclear
drive recently agreed to set up a regime for checking information on the list
of nuclear activities submitted by Pyongyang, but have yet to agree on
specifics such as who will visit which nuclear sites carrying what kind of
equipment.
Bush is on the way to South Korea, Thailand and China, where he will have talks
with the local leaders. As South Korea and China are members of the six-party
process, the North Korean nuclear issue is expected to be high on the agenda.
The other parties to the six-party process are the United States, Japan and
Russia.
==Kyodo
Dennis Wilder, senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security
Council, signaled the stance to reporters when asked if the United States will
take North Korea off the blacklist on Aug. 11 as earlier planned.
''Unless we have from the North Koreans a verification protocol that is
robust...then August 11th will come and go and there will be no change in the
situation,'' he said.
''It is up to the North Koreans now to come back to us and accept a
verification protocol,'' he said.
Wilder made the remarks to reporters traveling with President George W. Bush
aboard Air Force One en route to Asia. The plane made a stopover in Fairbanks,
Alaska.
Bush notified Congress on June 26 of his intent to remove North Korea from the
blacklist, enabling his administration to call for actual removal on or after
Aug. 10.
Because Aug. 10 falls on Sunday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was
expected to take steps to take that country off the list the following day.
However, it appears difficult for any deal to be struck on the verification
regime by then as hardliners in the North Korean government are opposed to
U.S.-proposed verification methods such as access to any facilities and
sampling of nuclear materials.
The six countries involved in negotiations on ending North Korea's nuclear
drive recently agreed to set up a regime for checking information on the list
of nuclear activities submitted by Pyongyang, but have yet to agree on
specifics such as who will visit which nuclear sites carrying what kind of
equipment.
Bush is on the way to South Korea, Thailand and China, where he will have talks
with the local leaders. As South Korea and China are members of the six-party
process, the North Korean nuclear issue is expected to be high on the agenda.
The other parties to the six-party process are the United States, Japan and
Russia.
==Kyodo
