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

(ATTN: UPDATES with additional comments, more backgrounds)
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, pursued by the IAEA in dealing with the reclusive North in
the early 1990s, was aimed at allowing inspectors to look at installations
unannounced and without prior approval from Pyongyang. The North rejected it and
withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Yu said consultations are being held on ways to inspect facilities left off of
North Korea's declaration with Pyongyang's consent on a case-by-case basis.
Yu confirmed that the U.S. plans to put the verification of undeclared nuclear
facilities on the backburner, along with suspected uranium-based programs and
proliferation.
"Verification of those things should be carried out in sequence," he said.
The minister also hinted that it might take a few more days for the U.S. to
announce a formal deal with the North.
"The U.S. is still in the process of internal coordination, and is also holding
consultations with China, Japan, and other nations," he said, referring to member
states of the six party talks, which also include South Korea and Russia.
"No final decision has been made with regard to the verification protocol issue
following Assistant Secretary of State Hill's trip to North Korea."
The 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 compromise, 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.
The minister 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.
Yu said time is too limited to hold a six-way foreign ministerial meeting, as
agreed in a previous nuclear deal under the Bush administration.
North Korea handed in a list detailing its plutonium-producing activity in June.
The U.S. says a deal on the verification protocol is a precondition for taking
the North off the terror list. Pyongyang argues that Washington is trying to
inspect its key military sites under the pretext of verification.