North Korea OKs Nuke Inspection Demands

Verification Of Disarmament Is Promised As Bush Administration Removes Country From Terror Blacklist

(AP)  North Korea has agreed to all U.S. nuclear inspection demands and the Bush administration responded Saturday by removing the communist country from a terrorism blacklist.

The breakthrough is intended to salvage a faltering disarmament accord before President Bush leaves office in January.

"Every single element of verification that we sought going in is part of this package," State Department Sean McCormack said at a rare weekend briefing.

North Korea will allow atomic experts to take samples and conduct forensic tests at all of its declared nuclear facilities and undeclared sites on mutual consent. The North will permit experts to verify that it has told the truth about transfers of nuclear technology and an alleged uranium program.

"Verifying North Korea's nuclear proliferation will be a serious challenge. This is the most secret and opaque regime in the entire world," said Patricia McNerney, assistant secretary for international security and nonprofileration.

The move followed days of intense internal debate in Washington and consultations with U.S. negotiating partners China, South Korea, Russia and Japan. Tokyo had balked at the move because North Korea has not resolved issues related to its abduction of Japanese citizens.

"The key principle of the six-party talks is that any agreement must be agreed upon and in essence guaranteed. The next is to go to the six and have this formalized," McCormack said.

Removing North Korea from the blacklist was immediately criticized by some conservatives who said it rewards the North for bad behavior and sends a bad signal to other U.S. adversaries, notably Iran. U.S. officials stressed that the North would be placed back on the list if it fails to comply with the plan to verify it has told the truth about its nuclear activities.

The broader accord had been threatened by North Korea's refusal to accept such nuclear inspections because Washington had refused to drop the North from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

That designation - now shared only by Cuba, Iran, Syria and Sudan - carries severe penalties, but U.S. officials said North Korea would not see any immediate benefit because it is punished penalized under other programs.

"There should be no anticipation by anybody that there are not going to be bumps in the road. This is going to be a bumpy road. However, we are building a road," said Paula DeSutter, assistant secretary for verification, compliance and implementation.

North Korea has moved to restart a disabled nuclear reactor and takes other provocative steps, including expelling U.N. inspectors and test-firing missiles. Those steps in recent weeks have heightened tensions in the region and place the shaky disarmament deal in peril.

The blacklist decision had been in the works since chief U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill returned from a trip to North Korea late last week. On his visit, he proposed a face-saving compromise under which the North would accept the verification plan after the delisting was announced. Previously, the U.S. had insisted that the North agree to the deal first.

Critics pilloried the development because it addresses only the North's plutonium program and does not deal with its involvement in spreading nuclear weapons technology or alleged uranium enrichment activities.

"With today's action, the administration has given up a critical instrument of leverage," said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "By rewarding North Korea before the regime has carried out its commitments, we are encouraging this regime to continue its illicit nuclear program and violate its pledge to no longer provide nuclear assistance to extremist regimes."

"We are also sending a strong message to other rogue nations, such as Iran and Syria, that we will not hold them to their commitments, even as we give in to their demands," she said.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain said he would not support the step unless it is clear North Korea will accept intrusive inspections of its nuclear sites.

"I expect the administration to explain exactly how this new verification agreement advances American interests and those of our allies before I will be able to support any decision to remove North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism," he said in a statement late Friday.

In addition, he expressed concern that U.S. allies in Asia, particularly Japan, had not been properly consulted.

"I am also concerned that this latest agreement appears to have been reached between Washington and Pyongyang and only then discussed with our Asian allies in an effort to garner their support," he said.

McCormack said the decision had been discussed with all the U.S. partners in the six-nation talks and that a consensus had been reached.

Japan had been resistant, arguing that North Korea should not be taken off the list until the cases of Japanese citizens abducted by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s are resolved. "We strongly urge North Korea to address Japan's concerns without further delay," McCormack said.

North Korea, along with Iran and Iraq, was branded as part of an "axis of evil" by Mr. Bush after the Sept. 11 attacks.

[stonewall404]

NKorea acts like a thug posing threat on people to get money. We felt betrayed when we heard that the U.S. made a pact with such a devil. From now on, we''ll do whatever we can to destroy the band of gangs no matter what Americans may think.

[stonewall404]

I''m Japanese.

The U.S. again and again takes the Clinton-style appeasement policy and, again and again deceived by the PIG KIM and his followers.

We never cave in.

[babooph]

Those Koreans acted quick when Bush tried to cheat them -he buckled at the knees quick too-the propaganda system is putting the best lie forward now.

[swingset4u]

North Korea OKs Nuke Inspection Demands

For now anyway....

[lastdance127]

Censored From ABC News :

The NAZI Fascist Bush Crime Regime
Will always Help and Assist any Nation that is a
Part of the : "Axis of Evil."

In The Year 2000 .. Former : Defense Secretary Rumsfeld
Was involved in selling a Nuclear Plant to : North Korea
Along with the technology to refine : Uranium and produce Plutonium.
The main ingredients of a : Nuclear Weapon

The Uncle of NAZI Fascist Bush _ Prescott Bush
In 1989, Prescott Bush connections to an American firm
Asset Management was the Only U.S. firm able to - Skirt
U.S. sanctions and import (Smuggle) US Communications (Spy ?)
Satellites into China.

It was The NAZI Fascist Bush Crime Regime that Created the : AXIS of EVIL

If your Comments have have been Censored from
ABC News Comments

Contact the : Civil Liberties Union
Ask for a CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT Against :
Brian Ross and The ABC News

Ask The Civil Liberties Union :
To Advertise For People Who Have Been Censored By
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To Join in That Class Action Law Suit
http://www.aclu.org/contact/general : (Request Legal Assistance)

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Posted CBS News - Ruters (BBC) - MSNBC - FOX (Others)

[truthislife1]

Yea, sure. Whatever

[lewiston14]

If you look at pictures of Bush as of late he looks tired and beat. I think in his lastt few days he has given up on being the great decider because even his own party does not listen to him anymore least the rest of the world either.

[be_real]

Is BUSH adapting OBAMAS policies? It only took 8 yrs, I call this, a bad case of political retardation.

[lovegetpeace]

Republican President Bush''s Biggest mistake was to surrounded himself by Loyal but Evil people instead of Experts.

Bush got ''Yes'' people and that is his legacy.

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by endrepubs at 01:37 PM : Oct 11, 2008

You could not have said it better. President Bill Clinton was always right.

On 28 July 2008, Bush announced plans to place Missile-Defense systems in Eastern Europe. Russia responded point blank with no ifs, buts, and vagueness.

The Cuban Americans are wrong with regard to Cuba and now we have Fidel''s partner and successor Hugo Chavez who signed last week a contract with Russia to built a nuclear plant in Venezuela.

Bush is a good person but very dumb because he surrounded himself with the worst evil men starting with D. Cheney.

My mother always thought me "the bravest makes friends of his enemies"

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by sincityq at 01:15 PM : Oct 11, 2008

Learn to Art of swallowing your pride and eat your egos. This will lead you to happiness via peace in this one life you will ever have.

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by endrepubs at 01:37 PM : Oct 11, 2008

You could not have said it better. President Bill Clinton was always right. The Cuban Americans are wrong with regard to Cuba and now was have Fidel successor Chavez.

On 28 July 2008, Bush announced plans to place Missile-Defense systems in Eastern Europe. Russia responded point blank with no ifs, buts, and vagueness.

Bush is a good person but dumb because he surrounded himself with the worst evil men.

My mother always thought me "the bravest makes friends of his enemies"

[vietvet06]

And CBS, how about some real time and informative reporting, get the facts, instead of parroting Washington''s official stance. I hope for my country''s sake that from our current crises comes a new beginning of real news reporting, with no allegiance to anyone, but the American people and their welfare. I think it is obvious now that National Security as a wag the dog, is a gross failure. I would rather have the truth.

[vietvet06]

This news byte has lost all credibility. North Korea is on, North Korea is off, Kim is dead, Kim is well, North Korea''s nuclear reactor is destroyed...see the cooling tower fall, North Korea''s nuclear reactor is up, see the same tower erect. The State Department and the White House continue to prefer lies and misinformation to paint their version of useful progress, yet, in truth they are worse than cur dogs, fighting over the dead and rotting carcass of their own national and international failures. It would be better for them and the American people to stop bluffing.

[heero78-2009]

What the... he''s STILL the President?