IAEA Chief Says N. Korea Represents Immediate, Serious Nuclear Threat
VOA News
18 Jul 2003, 16:56 UTC
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says North Korea is the most immediate and serious threat to global efforts at controlling nuclear weapons.
Mohamed ElBaradei made the statement to a meeting of the agency's board of governors in Vienna Friday. He expressed concern about new reports that North Korea is reprocessing nuclear fuel rods to extract weapons-grade plutonium.
The IAEA chief said he welcomes China's attempt to bring the reclusive North Korean government back to the negotiating table. In Washington, a senior Chinese diplomat is at the State Department for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, amid reports that North Korea may be ready to resume talks concerning its nuclear program.
China's Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo is expected to brief Mr. Powell on his high-level talks in Pyongyang earlier this week. During that trip, Mr. Dai is believed to have urged North Korea to enter multilateral talks. North Korea has insisted on direct talks with Washington, a demand the Bush administration has rejected. Mr. Dai's U.S. visit could be an indication the North is willing to compromise.
The official North Korean news agency Friday accused the United States of trying to avoid its responsibility to resolve the nuclear issue. It also repeated a long-standing claim that the Bush administration is planning an attack on North Korea.
Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.
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