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FM Spokesman on DPRK's Stand on Nuclear Freeze and Way of Verification

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK

    Pyongyang, July 14 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA Wednesday as regards the misinformation floated by some members of the international community about the objects to be frozen and the way of verification after the DPRK elaborated on the proposal on "reward for freeze" at the third round of the six-party talks: As already reported, all participants in the six-party talks except the U.S. expressed positive understanding and sympathy with the flexible proposal the DPRK made as the first-phase measure for a package solution based on simultaneous actions at the talks. They expressed their willingness to participate in implementing the proposal for reward for freeze and even the broad world public fairly assessed the DPRK's constructive stand for the solution of the nuclear issue. The DPRK, however, is compelled to be vigilant against some forces misinterpreting the DPRK's stand in a bid to build up public opinion swimming against this international trend.
    They assert that the DPRK's nuclear activities for a peaceful purpose are possible only after its return to NPT and under its regular cooperation with the IAEA and that even the DPRK side expressed understanding of this. They also claim that the DPRK has the stand of agreeing to the multi-party inspection i.e. the six participant nations of the six-party talks, although it opposes the IAEA's inspection of its nuclear freeze.
    The DPRK would like to reclarify its stand here. Its ultimate goal is to realize the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
    The DPRK will dismantle its nuclear weapons program only when conditions for it are created by the U.S. drop of its hostile policy toward the DPRK.
    To this end, it wishes to wipe out mistrust and build confidence between the DPRK and the U.S. by implementing the measure of "reward for freeze," to begin with.
    The DPRK will naturally return to NPT if the Korean peninsula is denuclearized and those fundamental elements, which compelled the DPRK to pull out of the treaty, are consequently removed.
    It is the unshakable stand of the DPRK that it can not stop its nuclear activities for a peaceful purpose before this happens.
    Its nuclear activities for a peaceful purpose are the issues pertaining to its sovereignty and this should never be included in the objects to be frozen or dismantled.
    It is a hard reality in the world that those countries outside NPT and those belonging to the nuclear-free zones are engaged in nuclear activities for peaceful purposes.
    It is, therefore, quite natural for the DPRK, a non-member country of NPT, to exercise such equal right even before its return to it and there is nothing strange about its nuclear activity for a peaceful purpose.
    Clear is the stand of the DPRK on the issue of verification.
    As already clarified by the DPRK, a freeze is the first phase leading to the final dismantlement of its nuclear program and the freeze is bound to be accompanied by an objective verification.
    By verification the DPRK means monitoring the state of freeze.
    The issue of inspection of the nuclear facilities and nuclear substance of the DPRK is something to be discussed only at the phase of dismantling its nuclear program. It is very illogical to argue about inspection from the phase of freeze. Moreover, any attempt to force the DPRK to accept it is nothing but a sinister attempt to disarm it.
    Even after the third round of the six-party talks high-ranking officials of the U.S., in fact, do not hide their attempt to force the DPRK to "scrap its nuclear program first," asserting that they cannot make any reward unless the DPRK completely dismantles its nuclear program after halting its nuclear activity and accepting international inspection.
    It is quite preposterous for the U.S. to urge the DPRK to disarm itself before anything else under the present situation where the two countries are in a state of armistice and technically at war.
    The DPRK, therefore, can never accept this.