[USFK Forums] Senior U.S. official questions N.K. sincerity on nuke talks [Yonhap]

[C. Y. Lee]

Uploaded by C. Y. Lee on Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Senior U.S. official questions N.K. sincerity on nuke talks

2006/03/29 09:18

WASHINGTON, March 28 (Yonhap) -- A senior U.S. official seriously questioned North Korea's commitment to the six-party nuclear agreement with a repeated warning against the communist regime's illicit activities.

Stephen Rademaker, acting assistant secretary of state for nonproliferation, said the United States was committed to the six-nation negotiations, which he said was the "key component" to Washington's strategy.

South and North Korea, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan are members of the multilateral forum whose goal is denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Washington adopted the multilateral approach after an earlier bilateral agreement of 1994, called the Geneva Framework Agreement, unraveled with new revelations of Pyongyang's nuclear buildup.

Rademaker, addressing the Baltimore World Affairs Council on Monday, said the North Korean nuclear issue was a "unique and daunting" challenge.

The transcript of his remarks were made available Tuesday.

The six-party talks, however, have also become snagged by Pyongyang threatening a boycott in protest of U.S. Treasury's action against a Macau bank accused of laundering money for North Korea.

The U.S. alleges Pyongyang is making and circulating fake American dollars and cigarettes, trafficking narcotics and smuggling contraband.

"The United States is committed to utilizing all tools available to protect against illicit North Korean activities, including efforts to end currency counterfeiting and smuggling, money laundering, and revenue generated from the illicit transfer of WMD (weapons of mass destruction) materials and equipment," Rademaker said.

He said it was regrettable that North Korea is using the issue to take the six-party talks "hostage." "Such behavior calls into question North Korea's commitment to the (six-party) joint statement and the complete and verifiable elimination of its nuclear programs," he said.

ldm@yna.co.kr

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