N Korea demands nuclear reactors

Reaction to North Korea’s demand for civilian reactors before dismantling its nuclear programme ranged from harsh to calm today, though none of the parties to international talks said they expected the negotiating process to break down.

The US told the North to “reflect on the agreement they signed” in reference to a six-nation accord announced yesterday in which the communist country pledged to abandon all its nuclear programmes in exchange for economic aid and security assurances.

North Korea’s surprise move today to press for light-water reactors underlined its unpredictable nature and deflated some optimism from the Beijing agreement, the first since negotiations began in August 2003 among the two Koreas, the US, China, Japan and Russia.

“The US should not even dream of the issue of (North Korea’s) dismantlement of its nuclear deterrent before providing (light-water reactors), a physical guarantee for confidence-building,” the North’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

South Korea, which has pursued closer economic and political contacts with its rival as bilateral tensions have improved in recent years, took the most detached approach, interpreting the North’s latest move as a negotiating tactic ahead of future talks.

“I think this is a clarification by North Korea of its thinking,” Song Min-soon, South Korea’s chief nuclear negotiator, told reporters, according to Yonhap news agency. “It seems (North Korea) has started laying the groundwork in advance of the next round of negotiations.”

The North had demanded since the latest round of six-party talks began last week in the Chinese capital that it be given a light-water reactor – a type less easily diverted for weapons use – in exchange for disarming. US officials opposed the idea, maintaining North Korea could not be trusted with any nuclear programme.

The issue was side-stepped in yesterday’s agreement, with participants saying they would discuss it “at an appropriate time.” They also agreed to reconvene in early November to discuss the agreement’s implementation.

The North’s negotiating partners at the Beijing talks made clear that the reactor could only be discussed after the country rejoins the Non-Proliferation Treaty and accepts inspections from the International Atomic Energy Agency - which North Korea pledged to do in Monday’s agreement.

Still, the North chose to immediately press the issue after the agreement was less than a day old – essentially introducing a major condition on its pledge to disarm.

“This is not the agreement that they signed and we’ll give them some time to reflect on the agreement they signed,” US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in New York.

Japan swiftly joined the US in rejecting the North’s demand, dismissing it as “unacceptable,” Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura told reporters.

Yesterday’s agreement had drawn praise around the world and raised hopes of resolving a stand-off that has raised concerns of an arms race in north-east Asia.

Under the pact, in exchange for abandoning its weapons, the North gets security guarantees and energy aid, including a pledge from South Korea to provide it with electricity.

The North said today it would “wait and see how the US will move” and warned there would be “very serious and complicated” consequences if Washington demands the dismantlement of the nuclear programmes before providing a light-water reactor.

China, which has hosted all four rounds of the negotiations since 2003, urged all parties to stick to Monday’s agreement. Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said he didn’t think “North Korea has any misunderstanding” about the statement.

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun predicted that “the US and North Korea will likely engage in a tug-of-war,” but added that prospects for resolving the nuclear issue are brighter after Monday’s agreement.

Roh and US President George Bush spoke by telephone today, with Roh saying he “highly appreciated US flexibility” during the nuclear talks.

“They shared an understanding that earnest efforts have just started to resolve the nuclear issue and that there can be various difficulties,” Roh’s office said of the 20-minute conversation.

The Bush Administration has opposed anything resembling a 1994 US-North Korea agreement, which promised the North two light-water reactors for power. That project stalled amid the current crisis, which broke out in late 2002 after US officials said the North admitted having a secret nuclear program.

Some said the North’s position could be a major sticking point in future discussions.

“If the North meant it, it would pose a lot of problems for future talks,” said Baek Seung-joo, senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Defence Analysis in Seoul. “The US will never be able to accept the North’s demand as it means going back to the 1994 agreement.”