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“Pyongyang must reveal the amount of plutonium it has extracted; the reality of its uranium enrichment program; and the alleged transfer of nuclear technology and materials to other countries such as Syria, the sources said.”

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1933481/posts

U.S. to set 3 more tasks for N. Korea / New hurdles for delisting as terror sponsor

Takashi Sakamoto / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

WASHINGTON—The U.S. government has decided to impose three new conditions for removing North Korea from Washington’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, sources close to the six-party talks said Friday.

Pyongyang must reveal the amount of plutonium it has extracted; the reality of its uranium enrichment program; and the alleged transfer of nuclear technology and materials to other countries such as Syria, the sources said.

These points should be made clear when North Korea completes its declaration of its nuclear programs by the end of this year, the sources added.

The new conditions will be in addition to the current U.S. requirement that North Korea complete the disablement of its nuclear facilities.

It is now likely that North Korea will not be removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism anytime soon, since it is unlikely that the country will accept all four conditions, the sources said.

It is believed that the United States and North Korea had agreed on the removal of the reclusive state from the terrorism sponsor list and punitive measures mandated by the U.S. Trading with the Enemy Act in return for Pyongyang disabling its nuclear facilities and fully declaring its nuclear programs by year’s end.

Although the background of the new U.S. measures is unclear, the U.S. government is believed to have taken into consideration Japan’s strong demand to keep North Korea on the terrorism sponsor list.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. delegate for the six-party talks, said Thursday in Seoul that North Korea “is required to list all of their [nuclear] programs, facilities and all of the materials. That is what the declaration is for.” Hill will travel to Pyongyang on Monday and stay there until Wednesday.

However, North Korea has not submitted an initial draft nuclear listing, even though only one month remains before the the deadline to complete the declaration.

In relation to the three new conditions, North Korea has flatly denied the existence of an uranium enrichment program and of providing nuclear technology and materials to other countries.

It is also believed that North Korea is reluctant to declare its current nuclear weaponry stockpile, including plutonium, which is used to make nuclear bombs and warheads.

Hill is scheduled to meet North Korea’s chief nuclear envoy, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye Gwan. However, negotiations on the declaration are likely to face rough going unless North Korea changes its stance.

Chief delegates to the six-party talks, scheduled to meet next week in Beijing, will highly likely face difficulties while discussing the declaration.