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North Korean nuclear reactor construction may be halted
Tokyo, June 23: A group in charge of the construction of light-water reactors in North Korea under a deal intended to halt its development of nuclear weapons may suspend the project in August due to US opposition, a newspaper report said today.
Tokyo, June 23: A group in charge of the construction of light-water reactors in North Korea under a deal intended to halt its development of nuclear weapons may suspend the project in August due to US opposition, a newspaper report said today.
Washington says it is difficult to supply the parts needed to build the main sections of the nuclear reactors because Pyongyang has not signed a protocol agreeing to compensate for losses from any accidents, said the report.
The mass-circulation daily attributed the report to anonymous government sources. Construction of the reactors started in August under a 1994 agreement between North Korea and the United States designed to halt North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.
The Korean peninsula Energy Development Organisation (EDO) -- which includes the United States, South Korea, Japan and the Europea Union -- was created to undertake the construction of a five-billion-dollar plant containing the two 1,000 megawatt light-water reactors.
The reactors would produce significantly less weapons-grade nuclear material than an old nuclear plant constructed during the Soviet era. The newspaper said South Korea has urged the United States to continue with the project.
But Japan is also inclined to suspend the project temporarily unless North Korea agrees to sign the protocol and shows a willingness to resolve in multilateral talks a crisis arising from its nuclear weapons programme, it said. Bureau Report
The mass-circulation daily attributed the report to anonymous government sources. Construction of the reactors started in August under a 1994 agreement between North Korea and the United States designed to halt North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.
The Korean peninsula Energy Development Organisation (EDO) -- which includes the United States, South Korea, Japan and the Europea Union -- was created to undertake the construction of a five-billion-dollar plant containing the two 1,000 megawatt light-water reactors.
The reactors would produce significantly less weapons-grade nuclear material than an old nuclear plant constructed during the Soviet era. The newspaper said South Korea has urged the United States to continue with the project.
But Japan is also inclined to suspend the project temporarily unless North Korea agrees to sign the protocol and shows a willingness to resolve in multilateral talks a crisis arising from its nuclear weapons programme, it said. Bureau Report