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U.S. Department of State

Daily Press Briefing

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QUSTION: There's a story in The Washington Times about SS-23 Soviet missiles still being stationed in Bulgaria and Slovakia. It quotes UN reports. My question is, can you tell us something more about the response of these governments to the U.S. request to destroy these missiles? And are you confident they will be destroyed? And will the response of Slovakia and Bulgaria have any bearing on the application to join NATO?

MR. RUBIN: Missile non-proliferation is a top priority of this Administration. As that reporting indicated, we pursue energetically many different ways to reduce the threat of proliferation. We believe that the kind of missiles involved here are missiles in the so-called Category I missiles, under the MTCR. We believe they're inherently capable of carrying weapons of mass destruction. So we have discussed with a number of foreign governments - including Bulgaria and Slovakia - the importance of eliminating such missiles.

These discussions have been conducted as part of our normal bilateral security and non-proliferation dialogues. We think these kind of steps we've taken in the past have resulted in success in other cases like Hungary and Argentina and elsewhere.

I'm not in a position to state the responses of these governments, and that's - I welcome you talking to those governments and seeing what they say about it. But from our standpoint, this is an action we're taking with friendly governments. We're prepared to be of assistance in trying to destroy these systems that have this inherent capability. So you'll have to get from them what their view of it is.

QUSTION: But the Bulgarian Government initially has not been very friendly. They've rejected it as an interference in their national sovereignty. So where do we go from here?

MR. RUBIN: We have worked successfully in the past with many different governments in trying to stop nonproliferation. Sometimes the first word is not the last word.

Yes.

QUSTION: Korea?

MR. RUBIN: Yes.

QUSTION: There is a groundbreaking ceremony in North Korea to begin construction of a light water nuclear reactor. Can I assume from this event that the United States and its allies in KEDO are satisfied that North Korea is living up to the agreed framework? Particularly in regard to the destruction of spent fuel?

MR. RUBIN: We believe that tomorrow's ceremony is an important milestone in our efforts to achieve the de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We have worked closely with Japan and South Korea on this for a long time. We think that it increases the chances that North Korea's nuclear program will stay frozen and ultimately be dismantled. This ceremony is occurring against a backdrop of major progress and significant progress in the other areas of the agreed framework.

North Korea continues to maintain the freeze on its nuclear facilities -- that freeze is monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency -- and is nearing completion of a project with the United States to safely store its spent nuclear fuel, which would otherwise be available for the production of weapons-grade plutonium. In short, this bargain that we struck with North Korea is working. We have stopped the possibility of a major nuclear program breaking out in the dangerous Korean Peninsula.

The groundbreaking for the light water reactor is a milestone in that effort. However, I would remind you that the key components to make those reactors work - the key nuclear components are not going to be provided until we believe that North Korea has come into full compliance with the safeguard agreements with the International Atomic Energy (Agency). In short, that it has resolved or sought to resolve the discrepancy that has existed between what they have done in the past and what the IAEA thinks they might have done. That is the trigger for them to be able to have the components that would make these light water reactors functional. Those key components will not be delivered for some number of years as this project moves forward.

During that time we hope we will be as successful on these other areas of compliance as we have been on the freeze and on the canning of the spent fuel.

Yes.

QUSTION: On that topic.

QUSTION: Go ahead.

QUSTION: Since the Secretary asked Brunei and the other ASEAN nations to contribute to KEDO has there been any money forthcoming?

MR. RUBIN: I will have to get an answer for you on that. Can we get a formal answer to new KEDO contributions since the Secretary's trip?

Yes.

QUSTION: Can we move to the Balkans?

MR. RUBIN: Any more on North Korea?

QUSTION: Is this strictly a bilateral ceremony? Will the U.S. be involved in any way?

MR. RUBIN: I believe it's - KEDO is an international organization that includes many other countries besides the United States, so I would expect those countries in addition to the North Koreans to participate in some way. But we can get you the details of who is in and who is out.

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