“Jury still out” on North Korea: Rice

PUSAN, South Korea (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday North Korea needed to get
serious about dismantling its nuclear weapons programs.

“I think the jury is out on whether the North Koreans are
doing what they are prepared to do, which is to get serious
about dismantlement obligations and verification,” Rice told
reporters.

She was speaking in the South Korean port city of Pusan on
the edges of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum
after meeting all four parties involved in negotiations except
for the communist country itself.

In what appeared to be a breakthrough deal in September,
North Korea said it would disarm in exchange for aid and
security guarantees. It also wanted a light-water reactor for
civilian use. But the last round of talks in Beijing ended last
week with the two key parties to the talks seemingly far apart.