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By Lee Joo-hee

September 21, 2005

Original Article (English)

The 'Dear Leader' Meets With His Staff of Hard-Driving, Original Thinking Self-Starters - NOT.
—BBC VIDEO NEWS: North Koreans Demand Reactor Before Disarming, Sept. 17, 01:37:24

When the two sides began discussing the issue of light-water reactors yesterday, the United States and North Korea had distinctively different interpretations. Just a day after the six parties agreed on a set of principles for North Korea's nuclear program, this dispute indicates that far from being concluded, a tough negotiating process lies ahead.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry released a statement and said it would return to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and conform to International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards immediately after the United States provides it with a light-water reactor, which it called the basis of trust between the two countries.

"The basis is for the United States to provide, as soon as possible, a light-water reactor, which will be the proof of its substantial admittance of our right to peaceful nuclear activity," the statement said.

North Korea's claim clearly ran counter to what other member countries to the talks - particularly the United States - referred to in the last sentence of Article 1 of the joint statement, which reads, "The other parties expressed their respect and agreed to discuss, at an appropriate time, the subject of the provision of a light-water reactor to North Korea."

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made it clear that the United States will not provide the North with such a plant unless North Korea first holds up its end of the bargain.  "There is clarity about the need for North Korea to dismantle, get back into the NPT, get IAEA safeguards, and then discuss a light-water reactor," Rice told reporters at U.N. headquarters.

"The sticking point of the light-water reactor for North Korea I think was handled in a way that is wholly appropriate, which is that let's get about the business of first dismantlement and NPT and IAEA safeguards. This is, until then, not a question for the agenda," Rice said.

Light-water reactors use materials like reprocessed uranium to generate electricity, but they make it difficult to manufacture nuclear weapons.

'Don't Even Think Aboout It,' Condoleezza is Not Amused

Undoubtedly, the United States sees the light-water reactor controversy as a continuation of alleged North Korean back-stabbing. The United States halted construction of a similar type of reactor in Shinpo, North Korea in 2002, claiming that the Communist state breached their 1994 agreement by continuing to its nuclear weapons program.

Seeking to calm the diplomatic waters, South Korean officials said the six member states including the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia would straighten out the ambiguity over the question of when to discuss the light-water reactor at the "appropriate time."

"The United States is focused on how the discussion will begin at an "appropriate time," meaning the point when nuclear dismantlement is complete or has progressed irreversibly, whereas North Korea is focused on the phrase "provision of a light-water reactor," said Unification Minister and head of the National Security Council, Chung Dong-young, in a radio interview.

"Each party will be advocating for their maximum benefit in defining the "appropriate time," but that is something that can be negotiated."

The South Korean Foreign Ministry explained that the Seoul government was devising a plan for talks on the issue.

President Roh Meets His Delegation Fresh from Six-Party Talks

Delegates to the six-party talks all returned home yesterday afternoon, after a week of tense negotiations. The talks had resumed after a five-week recess. The talks were deadlocked over North Korea's claim to the right of the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and Washington's hesitancy in accepting this.

The envoys will gather again in early November to tackle the details of the agreed principles.

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun held a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae [the Blue House] in the morning and listened to reports on the joint statement and the outcome of the six-party talks.

Roh also invited the delegation to the talks, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon, to dinner.