ID :
24463
Tue, 10/14/2008 - 18:12
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/24463
The shortlink copeid
N.K. unlikely to give up nuclear ambitions: ruling party leader
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- Washington's delisting of North Korea from a terrorism blacklist was not a wise move, as the communist state is unlikely to give up its nuclear ambitions, South Korea's ruling party chairman was quoted as saying Tuesday.
North Korea has said it will resume the stalled nuclear disablement process,
agreed upon in a 2007 aid-for-disarmament deal, in response to Washington's
decision last weekend to remove the country from its list of states supporting
terrorism. North Korea had been backpedaling from the agreement it struck with
the United States, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia since mid-August.
The delisting gave the Bush administration a chance to stop a major diplomatic
achievement from slipping away in its remaining few months in office, and
Pyongyang -- which was heavily sanctioned because of its designation as a
terrorism-sponsoring nation -- a chance to rejoin the international community.
"I, personally, am against Washington's decision to take North Korea out of the
terrorism list without first making sure North Korea will end all nuclear
development programs and open up to the outside world," Grand National Party
leader Park Hee-tae was quoted as saying by party spokesman Hwang Chun-mo during
a party gathering.
"Actually, I don't think North Korea will ever give up its nuclear ambitions."
The North in recent weeks had prohibited outside inspectors from the Yongbyon
complex and threatened to restart the nuclear facilities, accusing Washington of
failing to keep its promise to remove Pyongyang from the terrorism list. North
Korea is to receive up to 1 million tons of fuel aid from participating countries
of the six-party negotiations in return for fully abandoning its nuclear
programs.
Although the South Korean government has welcomed the decisions by the U.S. and
North Korea, some conservative politicians such as Park have been skeptical. They
believe that Washington should have pressed North Korea harder to commit to
denuclearization and to give information on abducted South Koreans.
South and North Korea remain technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War
ended in a truce, not a permanent peace treaty.
SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- Washington's delisting of North Korea from a terrorism blacklist was not a wise move, as the communist state is unlikely to give up its nuclear ambitions, South Korea's ruling party chairman was quoted as saying Tuesday.
North Korea has said it will resume the stalled nuclear disablement process,
agreed upon in a 2007 aid-for-disarmament deal, in response to Washington's
decision last weekend to remove the country from its list of states supporting
terrorism. North Korea had been backpedaling from the agreement it struck with
the United States, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia since mid-August.
The delisting gave the Bush administration a chance to stop a major diplomatic
achievement from slipping away in its remaining few months in office, and
Pyongyang -- which was heavily sanctioned because of its designation as a
terrorism-sponsoring nation -- a chance to rejoin the international community.
"I, personally, am against Washington's decision to take North Korea out of the
terrorism list without first making sure North Korea will end all nuclear
development programs and open up to the outside world," Grand National Party
leader Park Hee-tae was quoted as saying by party spokesman Hwang Chun-mo during
a party gathering.
"Actually, I don't think North Korea will ever give up its nuclear ambitions."
The North in recent weeks had prohibited outside inspectors from the Yongbyon
complex and threatened to restart the nuclear facilities, accusing Washington of
failing to keep its promise to remove Pyongyang from the terrorism list. North
Korea is to receive up to 1 million tons of fuel aid from participating countries
of the six-party negotiations in return for fully abandoning its nuclear
programs.
Although the South Korean government has welcomed the decisions by the U.S. and
North Korea, some conservative politicians such as Park have been skeptical. They
believe that Washington should have pressed North Korea harder to commit to
denuclearization and to give information on abducted South Koreans.
South and North Korea remain technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War
ended in a truce, not a permanent peace treaty.
