U.S. Pushing N.Korea on Nuke Registration

The United States has announced that it shared data on the nuclear cooperation between North Korea and Syria with parties to the six-way nuclear talks and debated over it.

U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said, “We briefed this information to China, South Korea, Japan and Russia at the end of last year and also shared it with North Korea. We are unable to disclose to what extent the information was shared (including whether the video was shown), but the substance and background facts are no surprise to the parties of the six-party talks.”

“Since this issue has been discussed for several months within the frame of the six-party talks and the information was sufficiently shared, North Korea has an understanding that we are aware of what went on (between North Korea and Syria).”

He also said President George W. Bush will decide whether to proceed with the process when North Korea’s nuclear registration is reported. Thus Washington’s decision to take action such as removing North Korea from its list of terrorist-sponsoring states could depend on Pyongyang’s nuclear registration.

Sources say the Bush administration will negotiate with North Korea on including suspicion of nuclear cooperation within the boundaries of the verification and monitoring of nuclear registration.

U.S. intelligence says North Korean nuclear officials are assumed to have visited Syria’s nuclear facilities after they were bombed by the Israeli air force in September last year. The officials are known to help assess the damage to the nuclear reactors, and this has led to a debate in the United States over the six-way nuclear dialogue.

Though the State Department says cooperation between North Korea and Syria is a past matter, Congress and hawks in the Bush administration are likely to raise the possibility that North Korea contributed to nuclear expansion not only in the early 2000s, but also when the denuclearization process was being carried out.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has said he is worried over the possibility of North Korea helping Syria build nuclear weapons. He said he always emphasizes the need to communicate with an enemy state, considering that such activities took place during the years Washington suspended direct talks with Pyongyang.

Obama also urged strict verification on nuclear expansion and enriched uranium. He opposed Washington from stepping back from its demands made on Pyongyang just to keep North Korea talking to the United States.

sechepa@donga.com