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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| North Korea backs away from nuclear deal |
| 2008-09-20 |
| North Korea said on Friday it did not wish to be taken off a US terrorism blacklist, a reward it would be given if it abided by a disarmament deal, indicating it was stepping away from the pact. The North also said it had begun work to restore its Soviet-era nuclear Yongbyon plant that makes bomb-grade plutonium which was being taken apart under a disarmament-for-aid deal it reached with five regional powers, including the United States. "The DPRK (North Korea) neither wishes to be delisted as a 'state sponsor of terrorism' nor expects such a thing to happen," the North's official KCNA news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying. Analysts have said the North might be trying to pressure the outgoing Bush administration as it looks for diplomatic successes to bolster its legacy. The North might also be thinking it can wait for a new US president to try to get a better deal. Last month, North Korea said it planned to restart Yongbyon because it was angry at Washington for not taking it off a terrorism blacklist. In early September, it made minor but initial moves to restart the plant, US officials said. Washington has said it will remove Pyongyang from the list once the state allows inspectors to verify claims it made about its nuclear arms production. Once removed, the North can better tap into international finance and expand its meagre trade. The disablement steps - mostly completed - were aimed at putting Yongbyon out of the plutonium production business for at least a year. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 (Sigh) told ya it was all fake, but Nah you wouldn't listen. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-09-20 13:21 |
| #2 Joe, you're my main man, but jeepers Ima not see the link there. Is it a Penn State deal? |
| Posted by: .5MT 2008-09-20 04:24 |
| #1 HMMMMM..... ION TOPIX > CHRISTIANITY SPREADING FAST IN MONGOLIA, + BEIJING REASSERTS DESIRE FOR MULTI-ETHNIC STABILITY IN MONGOLIA. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-09-20 00:59 |