|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
 |
 |
    |
|
|
|||
 |
|
||
|
|||
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
U.S. Pays for KEDO This Year, But Has Not Requested Future Funds U.S. President George W. Bush formally agreed yesterday to fund the U.S. share of this fiscal year’s administrative costs of the organization responsible for implementing the 1994 U.S.-North Korean Agreed Framework. According to the White House, Bush “determined that it is in the vital U.S. national security interest to provide up to $3.72 million in assistance to the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) for administrative expenses for fiscal year 2003.” The money will not be used to support the ongoing construction of nuclear reactors in North Korea or to finance any shipments of fuel oil, both of which North Korea was to receive in exchange for freezing its nuclear activities. The fuel shipments were halted last year after North Korea reportedly acknowledged continuing its nuclear program (see GSN, Nov. 15, 2002; White House release, Sept. 15). Bush has not asked the U.S. Congress for any KEDO funds for fiscal 2004, according to administration officials. Meanwhile, the United States is examining whether to continue to provide food aid to North Korea. The United States has delivered 44,000 tons of food this year, but concerns over the food actually reaching needy North Koreans have U.S. officials reviewing whether to supply the 66,000 tons scheduled to be provided by the end of the year, according to U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli (see GSN, Feb. 25). He said North Korea has restricted the U.N. World Food Program’s ability to monitor food deliveries (Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Sept. 15). Another State Department official warned yesterday that North Korea is a significant participant in international illicit drug trade. The accusation was made in an annual presidential report submitted yesterday to Congress on drug trafficking (see GSN, May 21). “The president expresses his deep concern about the drug trafficking situation with respect to North Korea, and the continued allegations of involvement by state agents and enterprise in the narcotics trade, chiefly the methamphetamine trade,” said Paul Simons, acting assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs (Federal News Service transcript, Sept. 15).
| ||||||||||
Back to top
