Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

U.S. Urged to Accept DPRK's Proposal

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

    Pyongyang, March 28 (KCNA) -- The Education and Information Department of the Federation of Koreans in the U.S. issued a commentary on Mar. 10 as regards the offer for settling the "issue of counterfeit notes" made by the DPRK to the Bush administration at the DPRK-U.S. New York contacts. The commentary said:
    At the contacts the Bush administration urged the DPRK to produce evidence making assurances that it would not issue any more counterfeit notes though the former failed to present any evidence proving the charge. In this connection Pyongyang suggested Washington to let the former open an account in an American bank with a view to fully settling the "issue of counterfeit notes" and set up a non-permanent consultative mechanism between the two countries to specialize in handling the problem that may surface in the future, too.
    The Bush administration, however, was reluctant to give a clear answer to it and made a negative approach.
    The DPRK has so far approached all talks on its own initiative from an independent and positive stand.
    It would be more convenient for the Bush administration to look into an account of the DPRK in a bank operating in the U.S. than probing the DPRK's alleged use of "counterfeit notes" by taking so much trouble of traveling as far as Macao and some countries.
    The DPRK made the above-said offer to relieve the Bush administration of such trouble and settle the "issue of counterfeit notes" in a transparent manner. There is no reason for the administration to refuse to accept the proposal, while uttering words of welcome to it.
    The Bush administration should make a landmark option to accept the above-mentioned offer.