ID :
25214
Sat, 10/18/2008 - 10:16
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/25214
The shortlink copeid
N. Korea reapplied seals on nuclear reactor: State Dept.
By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has reapplied all the seals to its plutonium-producing nuclear reactor and restored all the surveillance equipment it removed from its nuclear facilities in recent weeks, the U.S. State Department said Friday.
The resumption of the disabling of its nuclear facilities comes one week after
the North agreed Saturday to allow access to its nuclear facilities and
undeclared sites by U.S. and other international inspectors by "mutual consent"
in a major breakthrough in the nuclear talks involving the two Koreas, the U.S.,
China, Japan and Russia.
Washington then lifted the North from the U.S. list of state sponsors of
terrorism, and Pyongyang responded by resuming disabling of its nuclear
facilities, which it stopped in August.
"What I am told is, first, on the reactor, that the North Koreans have, in their
efforts, reversed all their reversals in the reactor," spokesman Sean McCormack
told a daily news briefing. "All the seals are back on. The surveillance
equipment is back, reinstalled, and the equipment that had been removed is back
where it had been."
McCormack said North Korea has removed 60 percent of the fuel rods from the
reactor to "actually go beyond where they were prior to their reversing the
disablement steps."
"Now, on the reprocessing and fuel fabrication facilities, they have not yet
gotten to that baseline where they were before," he said, adding Washington was
satisfied "thus far" with Pyongyang having changed course to continue the
disabling of its nuclear facilities.
The spokesman said "actual dates" are being discussed on the timing of next round
of six-party talks, but added no specific dates have been fully agreed upon.
South Korean and U.S. officials have expressed their hope that the fresh round of
the multilateral talks will be held by the end of October in consideration of the
Nov. 4 presidential election in the U.S.
The six-party talks last were held in July when North Korea agreed to disable its
nuclear facilities by the end of October in return for one million tons of energy
or equivalent aid to be provided by that time.
hdh@yna.co.kr
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has reapplied all the seals to its plutonium-producing nuclear reactor and restored all the surveillance equipment it removed from its nuclear facilities in recent weeks, the U.S. State Department said Friday.
The resumption of the disabling of its nuclear facilities comes one week after
the North agreed Saturday to allow access to its nuclear facilities and
undeclared sites by U.S. and other international inspectors by "mutual consent"
in a major breakthrough in the nuclear talks involving the two Koreas, the U.S.,
China, Japan and Russia.
Washington then lifted the North from the U.S. list of state sponsors of
terrorism, and Pyongyang responded by resuming disabling of its nuclear
facilities, which it stopped in August.
"What I am told is, first, on the reactor, that the North Koreans have, in their
efforts, reversed all their reversals in the reactor," spokesman Sean McCormack
told a daily news briefing. "All the seals are back on. The surveillance
equipment is back, reinstalled, and the equipment that had been removed is back
where it had been."
McCormack said North Korea has removed 60 percent of the fuel rods from the
reactor to "actually go beyond where they were prior to their reversing the
disablement steps."
"Now, on the reprocessing and fuel fabrication facilities, they have not yet
gotten to that baseline where they were before," he said, adding Washington was
satisfied "thus far" with Pyongyang having changed course to continue the
disabling of its nuclear facilities.
The spokesman said "actual dates" are being discussed on the timing of next round
of six-party talks, but added no specific dates have been fully agreed upon.
South Korean and U.S. officials have expressed their hope that the fresh round of
the multilateral talks will be held by the end of October in consideration of the
Nov. 4 presidential election in the U.S.
The six-party talks last were held in July when North Korea agreed to disable its
nuclear facilities by the end of October in return for one million tons of energy
or equivalent aid to be provided by that time.
hdh@yna.co.kr
