ID :
58509
Fri, 05/01/2009 - 08:17
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/58509
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U.S. reviewing N. Korea's status in terrorism list: State Dept.
By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, April 30 (Yonhap) -- The United States said Thursday it was reviewing
the status of North Korea to decide whether to relist it as a state sponsor of
terrorism.
"The State Department is in the process of reviewing the DPRK's status as what
they call a not-fully-cooperating country," said Ronald Schlicher, acting
coordinator of counterterrorism at the State Department, at a news briefing to
mark the release of the department's annual country reports on terrorism. The
list does not include North Korea, formally the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea.
"That review is part of a broader process of identifying the countries not fully
cooperating," Schlicher said. "And decisions in that whole process, including
North Korea, should be coming in the next few weeks."
The previous Bush administration took North Korea from the list in October as the
North had agreed verbally to allow sampling at its nuclear complex.
Pyongyang, however, refused to agree to a verification protocol for its nuclear
facilities at the latest round of the six-party talks in December.
North Korea recently said it would boycott the talks permanently in anger over
the U.N. Security Council's rebuke of the North's recent rocket launch, which
Pyongyang insists was a satellite launch.
Schlicher, however, said that the launch has nothing to do with the terrorism list.
"Actually, we would not connect the launching of the missile with the question of
terrorism," he said. "Obviously, the launching of the missile is a matter of
grave concern. But we don't think that's it's specifically a counterterrorism
issue."
The annual report said that North Korea "was not known to have sponsored any
terrorist acts since the bombing of a Korean Airlines flight in 1987."
The U.S. "rescinded the designation of the DPRK as a state sponsor of terrorism
in accordance with criteria set forth in U.S. law, including a certification that
the government of North Korea had not provided any support for international
terrorism during the preceding six-month period and the provision by the
government of assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism
in the future," the report said.
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)
WASHINGTON, April 30 (Yonhap) -- The United States said Thursday it was reviewing
the status of North Korea to decide whether to relist it as a state sponsor of
terrorism.
"The State Department is in the process of reviewing the DPRK's status as what
they call a not-fully-cooperating country," said Ronald Schlicher, acting
coordinator of counterterrorism at the State Department, at a news briefing to
mark the release of the department's annual country reports on terrorism. The
list does not include North Korea, formally the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea.
"That review is part of a broader process of identifying the countries not fully
cooperating," Schlicher said. "And decisions in that whole process, including
North Korea, should be coming in the next few weeks."
The previous Bush administration took North Korea from the list in October as the
North had agreed verbally to allow sampling at its nuclear complex.
Pyongyang, however, refused to agree to a verification protocol for its nuclear
facilities at the latest round of the six-party talks in December.
North Korea recently said it would boycott the talks permanently in anger over
the U.N. Security Council's rebuke of the North's recent rocket launch, which
Pyongyang insists was a satellite launch.
Schlicher, however, said that the launch has nothing to do with the terrorism list.
"Actually, we would not connect the launching of the missile with the question of
terrorism," he said. "Obviously, the launching of the missile is a matter of
grave concern. But we don't think that's it's specifically a counterterrorism
issue."
The annual report said that North Korea "was not known to have sponsored any
terrorist acts since the bombing of a Korean Airlines flight in 1987."
The U.S. "rescinded the designation of the DPRK as a state sponsor of terrorism
in accordance with criteria set forth in U.S. law, including a certification that
the government of North Korea had not provided any support for international
terrorism during the preceding six-month period and the provision by the
government of assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism
in the future," the report said.
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)
