No disarmament, no financial sanctions to be lifted
Washington reconfirmed that it will not lift financial sanctions on Pyongyang as long as North Korea does not implement the September 11 Joint Statement that was agreed to by the members to the six-party nuclear talks on North Korea. Prospects for progress are uncertain because there is a wide gap between Washington and Pyongyang. North Korea issued a list of conditions before it would dismantle its nuclear program at the opening speech of the talks.
Concerning the North’s demand that the six-party talks should be nuclear arms reduction talks, the Bush administration made it clear, saying, “Though they conducted nuclear tests, we have reviewed the approach.”
Asked about whether the US will review financial sanctions on the North at a briefing at the White House, Spokesman Tony Snow said, “No, our conditions are very clear. We will not change our stance as the North wants.” North Korea defiantly demanded that all financial sanctions against its regime be lifted before it disarms.
In respects to no progress of the six-party talks yesterday, Snow said, “North Korea showed its traditional negotiation strategy making a list of maximum demands in the first stage,” adding, “However, the talks will continue to the end of this week and will resume sometime next year.”
A US government source said, “We will not consider shifting the talks into nuclear weapon reduction negotiations that North Korea demanded,” adding, “Let me make it clear that there are no nuclear arms deployed in South Korea.”
|
 / 입력시간: 2006. 12.21. 08:06
|
|
|
