13 January 2003
White House Report, Jan. 13: WHITE HOUSE SAYS ITS POLICY ON NORTH KOREA CONSISTENT
(Press Secretary Ari Fleischer briefed) (830) WHITE HOUSE SAYS ITS POLICY ON NORTH KOREA CONSISTENT Fleischer reconfirmed the U.S. position that North Korea must comply with its international obligations before progress can be made on other fronts. He noted a January 13 statement at a press conference in Seoul by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly, in which Kelly said "Once we get beyond nuclear weapons, there may be opportunities with the U.S., with private investors, with other countries to help North Korea in the energy area." "So the ball remains in North Korea's court. They know what they need to do and they need to take that action," Fleischer said. "North Korea wants to take the world through its blackmail play book, and we won't play. It's up to North Korea to come back into international compliance with their obligations. If and when they do that, then the world, of course, would make clear to North Korea that ... the world was prepared to engage," Fleischer said. "(W)hat we've always said is that North Korea needs to come back into compliance with international obligations. If they do not come back into compliance with international obligations, they'll continue to isolate themselves. And that begins with North Korea's dismantlement of its programs for the development of nuclear weapons." The United States, the Press Secretary added, "is prepared to talk to North Korea. And the message is simple, that North Korea needs to take action to disarm.... There is a perfect consistency here. Mr. Kelly said that once we get beyond their nuclear weapons then there may be opportunities in the front in the area of energy. "But as I made clear before, I said the United States is willing to talk, not negotiate. We are willing to talk about North Korea dismantling its facilities and coming back into international compliance with their obligations. Having done that, once they do that, then, at that point, North Korea can resume its place as a sovereign nation that is respected and treated by other nations in a manner consistent with their resuming those international obligations," Fleischer said. (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
