[imText1]A senior US official said that Washington promised North Korea about revocation of financial sanctions and terrorism-supporter status in return of Pyongyang’s commitment not to export nuclear material and technology to Tehran in January meeting in Berlin.
”Iranian nukes are the most important to the US,” the official said, “and we are fearful of NK-Iranian transactions in nuclear weapons.”
”Bush administration decided to focus on preventing Teheran from nuclear weapons development while negotiating with North Korea,” added the official.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared on Sunday that the country had acquired nuclear technology and “is a train without breaks and reverse gear.”
The official expected North Korea “would follow the agreement, at least to the disablement process,” whereas another agreement over already produced nuclear material issue was needed.
”Realistically speaking North Korea would be remaining as a nuclear state for next several years since complete denuclearization of North Korea is likely to take 5 to 10 years.”
A Japanese foreign affairs source said “North Korea decided to yield to international society’s demand by the end of South Korean presidential election this year. And the North will create a peaceful atmosphere until a new president is elected in Seoul.”
According to the source, Japanese government fiercely opposed US decision to allow, temporarily, North Korean nukes.
Based on the officials’ comments, Washington seems to have accepted most of North Korea’s demand because of its desire to solve Iranian nuclear crisis.
North Korean and the United States are to negotiate over following issues of the 2/13 agreement such as highly-enriched-uranium program and the plutonium that Pyongyang possesses. However, as there is no guarantee that NK will give up what the country has already produced as nuclear warheads, the situation might end up with North Korea being an official nuclear state.
