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US consulting with allies on North Korea
Washington, Oct 20: Stating that North Korea may already have one or two plutonium bombs and is moving towards uranium enrichment, the US today said it views the `framework agreement` signed between the two sides as nullified and is consulting with allies on how best to respond to Pyongyang`s admission that it has a secret nuclear weapons programme.
Washington, Oct 20: Stating that North Korea may already have one or two plutonium bombs and is moving towards uranium enrichment, the US today said it views the 'framework agreement' signed between the two sides as nullified and is consulting with allies on how best to respond to Pyongyang's admission that it has a secret nuclear weapons programme.
"It has been our best estimate that they may have one or
two nuclear weapons, based on earlier developments. And that
has been the considered view of the intelligence community for
some time. What has happened now is that we have discovered
they have started moving in another direction -- an enriched
uranium programme, that they have been working on them for
4-5 years," secretary of state Colin Powell told Fox News.
"When we discovered this in recent months, we put the question...before them when assistant secretary (James) Kelly went to Pyongyang a few weeks ago. After first denying it, they admitted it the next day and said this nullifies the agreed framework they had entered into with us in 1994."
The reason they gave for saying that, said Powell, was that President George W Bush has put North Korea into an "axis of evil" along with Iran and Iraq.
Kelly had told the North Koreans "you begun this enrichment uranium programme in the Clinton administration, not the Bush administrtion."
Powell also told ABC that "when one you have an agreement between the two parties and one says it's nullified, then it looks like it nullified."
Under the "framework agreement" of 1994, Pyongyang was supposed to freeze its nuclear weapons program in exchange for two light-water reactors as well as fuel oil for heating and electricity production.
Powell told Fox News that the US is working on the issue of North Korea with "our friends and allies" in a multilateral way.
He said the US has started preliminary conversations with the British, French, Russians, Chinese, South Koreans and others. Japan, Russia and China have been communicating with North Korea about the seriousness of the matter, he added.
The International Atomic Energy Agency is involved in monitoring. A South Korean delegation is in Pyongyang now. They are also meeting with the Chinese and North Koreans in Kuala Lumpur at the end of next week, Powell said.
The Japanese have said this matter has to be resolved and that they cannot go forward with normalization of talks with North Korea in this kind of situation. They have also pointed out that "pots of money," (large-scale economic aid), are waiting for them but they will not be available in this kind of situation, Powell said. Bureau Report
"When we discovered this in recent months, we put the question...before them when assistant secretary (James) Kelly went to Pyongyang a few weeks ago. After first denying it, they admitted it the next day and said this nullifies the agreed framework they had entered into with us in 1994."
The reason they gave for saying that, said Powell, was that President George W Bush has put North Korea into an "axis of evil" along with Iran and Iraq.
Kelly had told the North Koreans "you begun this enrichment uranium programme in the Clinton administration, not the Bush administrtion."
Powell also told ABC that "when one you have an agreement between the two parties and one says it's nullified, then it looks like it nullified."
Under the "framework agreement" of 1994, Pyongyang was supposed to freeze its nuclear weapons program in exchange for two light-water reactors as well as fuel oil for heating and electricity production.
Powell told Fox News that the US is working on the issue of North Korea with "our friends and allies" in a multilateral way.
He said the US has started preliminary conversations with the British, French, Russians, Chinese, South Koreans and others. Japan, Russia and China have been communicating with North Korea about the seriousness of the matter, he added.
The International Atomic Energy Agency is involved in monitoring. A South Korean delegation is in Pyongyang now. They are also meeting with the Chinese and North Koreans in Kuala Lumpur at the end of next week, Powell said.
The Japanese have said this matter has to be resolved and that they cannot go forward with normalization of talks with North Korea in this kind of situation. They have also pointed out that "pots of money," (large-scale economic aid), are waiting for them but they will not be available in this kind of situation, Powell said. Bureau Report