North Korea's Nuclear Admission: Opportunity for Diplomacy
Oct 17, 2002
For Immediate Release:
Contact: Steve LaMontagne 202-546-0795 x100
North Korea’s startling admission that it has continued its nuclear weapons program in violation of its treaty commitments and pledges to the United States raises a number of critical questions about how the U.S. and the international community should respond. For the time being, the Bush administration does not appear to be planning military action on the Korean peninsula. Instead, senior officials are calling on North Korea to comply with its commitments under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and to eliminate its nuclear weapons program in a verifiable way.
“It’s encouraging that the administration’s first instinct is to seek a peaceful resolution to this crisis,” said Steve LaMontagne of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
North Korea made the announcement during a visit by Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly to North Korea two weeks ago, after being confronted with U.S. intelligence information suggesting nuclear weapons work was being conducted in secret. North Korea also pulled out of the 1994 Agreed Framework, under which it agreed to freeze its nuclear program in exchange for construction of two light water nuclear reactors and annual fuel supplies.
“If North Korea is simply coming clean about their program in the hopes of furthering engagement with the U.S. and South Korea, then there may be an opportunity for diplomatic solutions and for IAEA weapons inspectors to gain access to North Korea,” LaMontagne said.
“The U.S., South Korea, and Japan must work closely together to bring about such a diplomatic solution, and should initiate a dialogue with North Korea as soon as possible” LaMontagne added.
There are also several important questions about the nature of North Korea’s clandestine nuclear program to which the Bush administration has not yet provided clear answers.
“Did North Korea admit to having a secret nuclear weapons program, or having actual, assembled, nuclear weapons? How advanced is their program? What are the other ‘more powerful’ weapons to which they referred? Are they bluffing to gain negotiating leverage?” asked LaMontagne.
Additional concerns include whether North Korea will peddle its nuclear technology to rogue states or terrorist groups, and whether other countries in the region, such as South Korea and Japan, will react by declaring their intention to pursue their own nuclear programs.
“This crisis has the potential to spark a new wave of nuclear proliferation in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. The U.S. must therefore work to prevent other countries in the region from going nuclear and to secure commitments from North Korea that it will not sell nuclear materials or technology to any country or individual.”
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