Sunday, Apr 27, 2003
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In the past, North Korea has said that international sanctions would constitute a ``declaration of war.'' The presidential spokesman, Ari Fleischer, said on Friday the administration has taken no position on sanctions but will seek the opinion of other countries. ``North Korea has thumbed its nose not only at the region but at much of the world as a result of its actions, and therefore has been condemned by much of the world,'' he said. Administration officials had said on Thursday that the North Korean delegate, Ri Gun, told the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, James Kelly, that his country had nuclear weapons and would test, export or use them, depending on U.S. actions. The officials added that North Korea also told the U.S. delegation that it had reprocessed spent nuclear fuel rods, a key step in the production of nuclear weapons. That claim is not backed up by U.S. intelligence. The State Department spokesman, Richard Boucher, refused to comment directly on the reported comments. U.S. officials have said they are seeking the ``verifiable and irreversible'' elimination of North Korea's nuclear programmes. North Korea has pushed Washington for a non-aggression treaty. It accuses Washington of planning an invasion after the Iraq war. Mr. Boucher said the United States will not make concessions to North Korea. He offered no response to a North Korean statement that Pyongyang had offered ``a new, bold proposal to clear up bilateral concerns,'' but gave no details. Mr. Boucher said the administration will undertake a careful review of the outcome of the Beijing meeting before deciding on next steps. He and other officials seemed pleased by China's role in the talks, noting that Beijing issued a pointed reminder that North Korea had assured South Korea in 1992 that it had no plans to acquire nuclear weapons. AP
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