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US, Japan Stress North Korea Must Act First on Nuclear Agreement

Posted on: Tuesday, 27 September 2005, 06:00 CDT

Text of report in English by South Korean news agency Yonhap

Washington, 26 September: Japan and the United States jointly emphasized Monday [26 September] that North Korea must completely dismantle its nuclear programmes before starting discussions on giving it a civilian power plant. A Japanese official, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity, emphasized the word "completely" when asked when members of the six-party talks would address building a light-water reactor for North Korea.

At the State Department, spokesman Sean McCormack reaffirmed this was the understanding of all parties at the talks other than North Korea. "All are in agreement," he said. "What has to happen is that North Korea must dismantle its nuclear programmes, must be back in the NPT (Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty) in good standing and have full IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards.""At that point and only at that point... [ellipsis as carried] would it be appropriate to perhaps have a discussion about light-water reactors," he said.

South and North Korea, the US, China, Russia and Japan produced an agreement last Monday in Beijing that says Pyongyang will give up its nuclear weapons and programme in return for political and economic incentives. The agreement also says the involved parties would discuss building a light-water reactor for the North "at an appropriate time".

But just hours after signing the agreement, North Korea declared it must receive the reactor first before it will rejoin the NPT and allow outside inspections. The Japanese official said he wasn't surprised by Pyongyang's actions. "It was their position at the talks," he said.

Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

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