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NKorea, US 'significantly narrowed' nuke differences: SKorea
Seoul (AFP) April 14, 2008 North Korea and the United States have "significantly narrowed" differences blocking progress on a nuclear disarmament deal, South Korea's foreign minister said Monday. Yu Myung-Hwan called for six-nation negotiations aimed at denuclearising North Korea to resume by May and to produce tangible progress by August. Top US negotiator Christopher Hill and his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye-Gwan met in Singapore last week to discuss disputes over the North's promised nuclear declaration. The United States says the declaration should answer suspicions about an alleged secret uranium enrichment programme and about suspected nuclear proliferation to Syria. The North denies both charges. "It is true that the United States and North Korea have significantly narrowed their differences over the two issues," Yu told a briefing, without elaborating. He said the six-party negotiations "should resume no later than late May in order to have consultations about the phase for dismantling and the issue of inspections." "The momentum for the six-party talks can be maintained if we reach a tangible agreement on Phase Three before August." The talks -- which group the US, the two Koreas, China, Japan and Russia -- reached a deal last year which would grant North Korea energy aid and major diplomatic and security benefits in return for full denuclearisation. The current phase required it to disable its main plutonium-producing plants and declare all nuclear activities by the end of last year. Phase Three would involve tearing down nuclear plants instead of just making them unusable and handing over all nuclear stockpiles and weapons. Numerous media reports say that under a pending deal, the communist state would only "acknowledge" concerns about uranium and proliferation in a secret side-agreement. The main declaration would deal only with the acknowledged plutonium-based weapons operation. A North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said last week the Singapore meeting produced an agreement on its promised nuclear declaration and also on "political compensation" from Washington. The North demands that the US start the process of removing it from a list of state sponsors of terrorism in return for a declaration. "In order for the US side to get North Korea off the US terrorist list, a report should be submitted to Congress 45 days in advance," Yu said. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice denied Friday that the deadlock had been broken yet. "We are not yet at a point where we can make a judgement as to whether or not the North Koreans have met their obligations," she said. Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Rice denies NKorean nuclear deal
Washington (AFP) April 11, 2008US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice denied Friday that the deadlock had been broken in North Korea's nuclear disarmament talks. |
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