US, N.Korea set timeline to shut reactor

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

US, N.Korea set timeline to shut reactor

By HIROKO TABUCHI, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 12 minutes ago

TOKYO - North Korea could shut down its plutonium-producing
reactor within three weeks, a top U.S. nuclear envoy said
Saturday after returning from a rare visit to the reclusive
country.

Christopher Hill — the chief U.S. negotiator at international
talks on North Korea's nuclear programs — also told reporters
in Tokyo that the next round of nuclear negotiations could
begin in early July, before a full shutdown of the Yongbyon
reactor.

Hill said the reactor would be closed after North Korea and
the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agree on how to monitor the
process. U.N. inspectors are to arrive in North Korea on
Tuesday.

"We do expect this to be soon, probably within three weeks ...
though I don't want to be pinned down on precisely the date,"
Hill told reporters after briefing his Japanese counterpart,
Kenichiro Sasae, on the outcome of his two-day surprise trip
to the North Korean capital.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070623/ap_on_re_as/koreas_nuclear

---

Source: Reuters

U.S. expects N.Korea to shut reactor in 3 weeks
Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:25AM EDT

By Elaine Lies

TOKYO (Reuters) - The United States expects North Korea to shut
down the reactor at the heart of its atomic arms development within
about three weeks, top U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill said on
Saturday.

Progress on disabling Pyongyang's nuclear program may be expedited
by the transfer to a North Korean account of $25 million in cash
that had been frozen in Macau at Washington's behest. Russian news
agencies quoted Finance Ministry officials as saying on Saturday
the transaction had been completed.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUST26744620070623

---

Also: US may consider N. Korea nuclear buyback-officials - Reuters

[Orsino]

1. It's amazing what actual diplomacy can accomplish!

If, Duke of Burgundy, you would the peace,
Whose want gives growth to the imperfections
Which you have cited, you must buy that peace
With full accord to all our just demands;
Whose tenors and particular effects
You have enscheduled briefly in your hands.

[Igel]

2. They mean they're close to setting another timeline.

In exchange for all kinds of promises from the non-N.Korean side, the N. Koreans were to have shut it down months ago, no ifs, ands, or buts.

But then N. Korea decided that something *not* in the treaty was a deal breaker, and they unilaterally decided to hold out for more. What money the US said it would unfreeze was the original terms of the side agreement that was more important than the main agreement. But it had problems finding some back willing to sent the money to N. Korea. So, in the meanwhile, the money that the US wasn't willing to freeze became an issue, and *it* had to be unfrozen as well.

Then, a month after the money's in Korea, N. Korea decides that maybe his word isn't a pile of dung. And everybody agrees because "diplomacy"--given N. Korea lots more than originally agreed, just for a promise of doing something in the future, worked.

When the nuclear plant is shut down, *then* you can crow that dipomacy works, but then be sure to add up all the extortion money paid to N. Korea, not just the last installment. After all, it's the plant that diplomacy guaranteed would never be built, and the one that diplomacy guaranteed would be shut down in the late '90s and freely inspected, *forever*. Somehow all the real payments for those fake promises are, well, meaningless. We so want to believe--like a shaman believing that he's walked in the spirit world, like the Xian fundie who goes to a mountaintop to await Christ--that we do stupid things, and show N. Korea exactly how stupid we are.

[Orsino]

3. My point is that peace must be paid for...

...as with any other diplomatic goal. Refusing to negotiate (or pretending to refuse) for years accomplished nothing. America wouldn't give up its nuclear technology for free, and neither will North Korea.

Personally, I'm not sure that the shutdown of the reactor--if it ever happens--would be worth crowing about. It might prove, though, that the * Admin is competent at something.

[struggle4progress]

5. We're just getting back to where we were before * undermined the 1994 agreements

The Administration had grandiose war plans from the beginning. The justification was to be WMDs. Although the justification in the case of Iraq has been debunked, the Administration has repeatedly tried to rerun the same game with Iran. In the case of North Korea, the Administration's threats and efforts to undo the 1994 agreements succeeded in getting the North Koreans to restart their weapons program.

Saturday, 2 February, 2002, 06:30 GMT
Bush's 'evil axis' comment stirs critics

There is mounting international concern about President George W Bush's grouping together of Iran, Iraq and North Korea as an "axis of evil". ~snip~ Nato's Secretary-General Lord Robertson has warned the US it will have to provide evidence to justify any action against Iran, Iraq and North Korea. ~snip~ President Bush maintained his tough stance on Friday, saying "all the three countries I mentioned are now on notice that we intend to take their development of weapons of mass destruction very seriously". ~snip~ Mr Bush's bellicose remarks about North Korea, Iran and Iraq have raised concerns in Europe that the war on terrorism may spread in terms of geography and nature. ~snip~

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1796034.stm

The U.S.-North Korean Agreed Framework at a Glance

On October 21, 1994, the United States and North Korea signed an agreement-the Agreed Framework-calling upon Pyongyang to freeze operation and construction of nuclear reactors suspected of being part of a covert nuclear weapons program in exchange for two proliferation-resistant nuclear power reactors. The agreement also called upon the United States to supply North Korea with fuel oil pending construction of the reactors. An international consortium called the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) was formed to implement the agreement. ~snip~

KEDO announced November 21, 2003 that it would suspend construction of the two light-water nuclear reactors in North Korea for one year beginning December 1. The suspension came in response to Pyongyang’s failure to meet “the conditions necessary for continuing” the project, according to the KEDO announcement.

KEDO further stated that the project’s future “will be assessed and decided by Executive Board before the expiration of the suspension period.” But a Department of State spokesperson said several days earlier that there is “no future for the project.”

The most recent nuclear crisis began when Washington announced that Pyongyang admitted during an October 4, 2002 bilateral meeting to possessing a uranium-enrichment program, which could be used to build nuclear weapons and would violate North Korea’s commitment to forgo the acquisition of such weapons. North Korea has denied that it said this. In response to the reported admission, KEDO suspended oil shipments to North Korea the next month. North Korea reacted December 12 by announcing that it would restart the nuclear facilities governed by the Agreed Framework. After a series of exchanges with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), IAEA inspectors left the country December 31 after Pyongyang expelled them. North Korea announced on January 10, 2003 that it was withdrawing from the NPT, effective the next day. Pyongyang’s official status with the treaty remains ambiguous. ~snip~

http://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/agreedframework.asp

[bamacrat]

4. Why does North Korea get a time table and Iraq doesnt?

No one is dying in North Korea, there isnt a war there, half the test missiles they have tested havent hit their target, oh well at least we are talking this time instead of shock and aweing.

[Eugene]

6. N Korea confirms funds transfer

Source: BBC News

Last Updated: Monday, 25 June 2007, 08:19 GMT 09:19 UK

N Korea confirms funds transfer

North Korea has confirmed it has received $25m (£12.5m)
following a funding row that had hindered progress on a
nuclear disarmament deal.

The foreign ministry said in a statement: "The issue of the
frozen funds has finally been settled."

Pyongyang said the money would be used for humanitarian
purposes.

The ministry also confirmed it would begin implementing
a deal to shut down its main reactor - a day before UN
nuclear inspectors are due to visit.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6236026.stm