North Korea still on terror list despite nuclear retreat

NORTH Korea remains on a list of states that sponsor terrorism, a senior US diplomat said yesterday.

“They haven’t been taken off the terrorism list,”Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told Japanese reporters as he arrived in Australia’s business capital for a meeting of Pacific Rim nations.

Under a deal reached in February after years of tortuous negotiations, North Korea agreed to relinquish its nuclear programmes, including one that has produced bomb material. In return, Washington agreed to open talks on normalising relations with the North, enemies since the Korean War, and explore removing the terrorism designation.

Mr Hill suggested that North Korea first needs to go further in dismantling its nuclear programmes before the US will take it off the terrorism list.

Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura, who was in Australia for meetings of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, said he expected to be briefed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on North Korea’s status on the list.

After their weekend meeting, Mr Hill told reporters that North Korea’s envoy, Kim Kye Gwan, agreed to disclose its nuclear programmes and disable them by the end of this year. Kim separately suggested North Korea was willing to declare and dismantle the facilities but did not mention the year end date.