NKorea unlikely to abandon nuke weapons within 10-15 years: expert

MOSCOW, August 26 (Itar-Tass) - Even if six-party talks on North Korea'
s nuclear problem proceed successfully, that country will hardly abandon
nuclear weapons within the next ten to 15 years, the director of Korean
programs at the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Economics,
Georgi Toloraya, said on Friday.
He believes one should not "hope that the Democratic People's Republic
of Korea (DPRK) will fully abandon nuclear weapons within 10 to 15 years".
"This will not happen until North Korea gets guarantees of its security,
particularly taking into consideration the example of Iraq and Libya," the
specialist said.
"At the same time we can expect that Pyongyang will stop further
research in the nuclear field, as well as will stop updating missile
programs and uranium enrichment programs," he noted.
"Agreements reached by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Kim Jong
Il, in particular, North Korean leader's promise to resume six-party talks
without preliminary conditions, are a very important signal that the
countries of the 5+1 group will find difficult to ignore," Toloraya said.
"We must take into consideration the fact that Kim Jong Il is a key
figure in the whole system of North Korea and he always fulfils his
promises," he added.
The expert also expressed hope that the upcoming diplomatic contacts
of the USA, Japan and South Korea will result in the resumption of
six-party talks, including China, Russia, the USA, South Korea, North
Korea and Japan. "Not only the DPRK needs talks within that format, but
the rest of the players as well," Toloraya emphasized.