W.H. Dismisses N. Korea's Demands
North Says It Will Not Dismantle Weapons Until It Gets Reactors
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Play CBS Video Video Response To N. Korea Nuke Plan The White House is pleased with North Korea's agreement to end its nuclear weapons program, but there's also caution about whether the nation will make good on its promise. Celia Hatton reports.
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A South Korean man reads a report on the six-way talks, in Seoul, Sept. 20, 2005. North Korea said it wouldn't dismantle its nuclear weapons program until the U.S. first gives it a reactor. (AP)
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U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill (left) joins hands with diplomats from Japan, South Korea, North Korea and Russia, for Monday's announcement of the deal with N. Korea. (AP)
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South Koreans sit in front of TV screen showing the light water reactors in North Korea, at a Seoul train station, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2005. (AP)
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Mr. Bush spoke by telephone with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and they agreed that verification of North Korea's pledge to abandon its weapons program was critical, McClellan said.
Roh's office in Seoul took note of the prospect of "various difficulties" in resolving the nuclear issue and said the South Korean president told Mr. Bush he appreciated U.S. "flexibility" during the negotiations in Beijing.
State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said: "There are going to be differences. That's to be expected."
Describing North Korea's demand as remote, Ereli said, "We're not even close to going that far."
North Korea said Tuesday it would not dismantle its nuclear weapons program until the United States first provided light-water reactors.
"Life is too short to overreact to every statement coming out of Pyongyang," Hill said upon his return from negotiations in Beijing. "It obviously was not a helpful statement. But it was not unexpected, either."
Still, Hill said North Korea's demand would be discussed at the next round, although he ruled out any such arrangement until North Korea rejoined an international treaty designed to limit the spread of nuclear technology and agreed to international supervision.
Under the tentative agreement, South Korea would provide North Korea with the energy it says it needs, Hill said.
"They know what they signed on to," Hill said. "We are not surprised by these sorts of statements. There probably will be more of them."
Asked if he was confident the breakthrough agreement would be concluded, Hill replied, "I wouldn't have supported it if I did not think it would get done."
He noted the agreement is not with the United States alone but with North Korea's neighbors. "That means something in Asia," he said.
Freedom House, a private group that champions democracy around the world, welcomed the agreement but its executive director, Jennifer Windsor, said there was a risk that international interest in promoting human rights would fall by the wayside.
"If North Korea truly wishes to join the community of nations and if its negotiating partners truly wish for a peaceful region, the country's egregious human rights record must be at the focus of serious discussions," she said in a statement.
© MMV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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