[imText1]At the U.S.-N.K. meeting in Berlin, North Korea insinuated that the 5MW atomic reactor in Yungbyun could be terminated, reported a Japanese press “Asahi” on the 25th. The report also suggested the possibility that North Korea would negotiate on the preliminary stages of freezing its nukes at the upcoming six party talks.
An official told Asahi newspaper “In addition to dismantling the atomic reactor, North Korea’s head delegate for the six party talks, Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan hinted to the U.S. of the possibility that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would be permitted reentry into the country.”
Regarding this, the newspaper said “North Korea reactivated its atomic reactor in 2003 and since then has already extracted 6~8 portions of plutonium. As a result, it is possible that no drastic impact will be made on the development of nuclear technology, even if the nuclear atom shutdown in the near future.”
However, the report predicted “It is unlikely the talks will be smooth as North Korea will undoubtedly request high demands such as energy support.”
At the last six party talks in Beijing, the U.S. requested that North Korea begin freezing its nukes by suspending all operations related to nuclear developments, permit the IAEA to conduct inspections, shut down its nuclear testing facilities and report all its nuclear programs.
Furthermore, it seems that issues pertaining to North Korea’s accurate reporting of nuclear facilities and the IAEA authorities conducting inspections to confirm the dismantle of nukes will be the hot topics at the North Korea-U.S. preliminary stage of negotiations.
