No deal yet on verifying undeclared N. Korean nuke facilities: minister

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Oct. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan indicated Friday that North Korea will no longer be required to open "undeclared" nuclear facilities to international inspectors under a tentative deal between Pyongyang and Washington.

The measure, if confirmed, would mean that the U.S. has backed down from its
demand for a sweeping verification of the secretive state's June nuclear
declaration -- and another concession to the North.
"In theory, (the planned verification) is different from the 'special inspection'
by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," Yu told a press briefing.
"Verification in a foreign nation should be based on that country's consent."
A special inspection allows the IAEA to look at installations unannounced and
without prior approval of the host government.
Consultations are being held on ways to inspect facilities left off of North
Korea's declaration with Pyongyang's consent, he added.
The minister's comments came amid media reports that the U.S. is preparing to
remove Pyongyang from its list of terrorism sponsoring states in return for its
acceptance of the U.S.-proposed verification protocol -- which is reportedly not
as stringent as an earlier proposal.
The provisional deal, negotiated by chief U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill
during his trip to Pyongyang last week, has yet to be formally endorsed by
President George W. Bush or other countries involved in the six-way talks on the
nuclear crisis, Yu added.
He said that Seoul wants the nuclear talks to be reconvened as soon as the
verification issue is resolved, possibly before the U.S. presidential election
early next month, so as to maintain momentum in efforts to denuclearize the
North.