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Rumsfeld linked to nuclear deal with North Korea

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON MAY 9. In an embarrassing disclosure, a leading British newspaper today reported that the U.S. Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, sat on the board of a European company three years ago when it supplied components for two nuclear reactors to North Korea, a country which the Bush administration regards as an "axis of evil."

"Mr. Rumsfeld was a non-executive director of ABB, a European engineering giant based in Zurich, when it won a $200 million (£125 million) contract to provide the design and key components for the reactors. The current (U.S.) Defence Secretary sat on the boardroom from 1990 to 2001, earning $190,000 a year. He left to join the Bush administration," The Guardian said in a front-page splash. It quoted Mr. Rumsfeld's office as saying that he did not "recall it (the deal) being brought before the board at any time" but an ABB spokesman said that "board members were informed about the project which would deliver systems and equipment for light water reactors." The reactor deal was part of the former U.S. President, Bill Clinton's policy of engaging North Korea which was reversed under the Bush administration.

In recent remarks, Mr. Rumsfeld has denounced North Korea as a "terrorist regime" which needs to be taught an "appropriate lesson." The Guardian said that not only did Mr. Rumsfeld seem to support the "Clinton-inspired diplomacy and the deal," which even then was opposed by people like Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Armitage, but was "involved in lobbying his hawkish friends on behalf of ABB."

The disclosure came even as a senior Pentagon adviser, Richard Perle, was reported to be embroiled in a controversy over his business links, allegedly causing a "conflict of interests." He was alleged to have `briefed' investors of his venture capital firm, Trireme Partners, on possibilities of investment in Iraq and North Korea after attending a classified intelligence meeting related to the two countries.

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