US 'certain' of North Korea uranium plant
Pastor Dale Morgan
US 'certain' of North Korea uranium plant*
From correspondents in Seoul
March 06, 2007 11:27pm
Article from: Agence France-Presse
US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said he was certain North
Korea had a secret uranium enrichment program but stopped short of
saying whether it still existed.
The alleged highly enriched uranium (HEU) project to make bombs has
become a key issue as the US and other countries press the communist
nation to honour its pledge to scrap all nuclear programs.
"I have no doubt that North Korea has had a highly enriched uranium
program, and that has been and continues to be the judgement of our
intelligence community,'' Mr Negroponte said.
"We would expect that when North Korea makes its declaration of nuclear
facilities, that that would be one of the issues addressed.''
South Korea is the final stop on Mr Negroponte's Asian tour, which is
focused on getting North Korea to abide by its commitment made at
six-nation talks on February 13.
US intelligence officials last week publicly softened their position on
the HEU program, admitting to doubts about how much progress had
actually been made.
A 1994 deal which shut down the North's plutonium-producing reactor
collapsed after the Bush administration confronted the North about the
alleged HEU project in 2002.
Since 2002 the North is thought to have produced enough plutonium to
make several more bombs. It tested its first nuclear weapon last October.
Mr Negroponte's visit to Japan, China and South Korea is his first
official overseas trip since taking office last month.
It is part of a round of intense diplomacy aimed at following up on the
Beijing accord.