12 December 2002
White House Regrets North Korea Decsion on Nuclear Facility
(White House Report) (791)
WHITE HOUSE REGRETS NORTH KOREA'S DECISION ON NUCLEAR FACILITY
The White House says it regrets North Korea's decision to reactivate a
controversial nuclear power plant that U.S. officials say is capable
of producing weapons-grade material.
"The statement that North Korea made, that it plans to resume the
operation and construction of its nuclear facilities, is regrettable,"
White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters December 12.
"The announcement flies in the face of international consensus that
the North Korean regime must fulfill all its commitments, and in
particular, dismantle its nuclear weapons program," Fleischer said.
"We seek a peaceful resolution to the situation that North Korea has
created. As the president said, we have no intentions of invading
North Korea. The international community has made it clear that North
Korea's relations with the outside world hinge on the elimination of
its nuclear weapons program. The next step is for North Korea to
dismantle its nuclear weapons program in a visible and verifiable
manner. We will consult with friends and allies regarding an
appropriate response to this latest move by the North Korean regime.
"Finally, the United States has always been open to dialogue in
principle, and was prepared for a comprehensive approach to improving
U.S.-North Korean relations before the disclosure of North Korea's
clandestine uranium enrichment program. However, the United States
will not enter into dialogue in response to threats or broken
commitments, and we will not bargain or offer inducements for North
Korea to live up to the treaties and agreements it has signed," the
press secretary said.
Under a 1994 agreement North Korea pledged to freeze its nuclear
weapons program in exchange for shipments of oil and other energy aid.
U.S. officials say North Korea acknowledged in October that it had a
secret program to enrich uranium in violation of that agreement.
COMMENT ON REPORT OF IRAQ-AL QAEDA WEAPONS TRANSFER
Asked to comment on an article in the December 12 Washington Post that
alleges a possible transfer of chemical weapons from Iraq to the al
Qaeda terrorist network, Fleischer said that "we have longstanding had
concerns about Iraq providing weaponry to al Qaeda, and of course we
know that al Qaeda is seeking it. But beyond that, I just don't get
into intelligence information."
BUSH SPEAKS OUT AGAINST REMARKS BY SENATOR LOTT
In remarks December 12 in Philadelphia at a White House regional
conference on faith-based initiatives, President Bush said recent
comments by incoming Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott
(Republican-Mississippi) "do not reflect the spirit of our country."
Lott at a recent 100th birthday party for retiring Senator Strom
Thurmond (Republican- South Carolina,) praised the senator by saying
the nation would be better off today if Thurmond had been elected
President in 1948, when he was campaigning on a racial segregation
platform.
Lott has since aplogized for his remarks, saying they do not reflect
his beliefs but were meant only to praise the service to the nation of
the retiring senator.
Bush, in his remarks, spoke about winning the fight against terrorism.
He then said, "We must also rise to a second challenge facing our
country. This great and prosperous land must become a single nation of
justice and opportunity. We must continue our advance toward full
equality for every citizen, which demands the guarantee of civil
rights for all. Any suggestion that the segregated past was acceptable
or positive is offensive, and it is wrong.
"Recent comments by Senator Lott do not reflect the spirit of our
country. He has apologized, and rightly so. Every day our nation was
segregated was a day that America was unfaithful to our founding
ideals. And the founding ideals of our nation and, in fact, the
founding ideals of the political party I represent was and remains
today the equal dignity and equal rights of every American.
"And this is the principle that guides my administration. We will not
and we must not rest until every person of every race believes in the
promise of America because they see it in their own eyes -- with their
own eyes, and they live it and feel it in their own lives."
Fleischer, speaking to reporters on Air Force One as they accompanied
the president to Philadelphia, reiterated that the president thought
what Lott said was wrong.
"And Trent Lott has apologized," Fleischer noted. "The president feels
very strongly about this. The president knows that we're a nation that
has been improved as a result of the civil rights movement, the civil
rights changes that were made to our country. We're a better nation.
We were a worse nation when we were a segregated nation."
But asked if Bush thinks that Lott should resign from his position of
majority leader, Fleischer said, "No, the president does not think
that Trent Lott should resign."
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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