ElBaradei Wants to See North Korea Back in NPT

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei today said he hoped that North Korea would rejoin the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty as soon as possible (see GSN, Sept. 24).

"I still hope that conditions can be created for the D.P.R.K. (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) to return to the Nonproliferation Treaty at the earliest possible date," ElBaradei said in his opening statement to the agency’s general conference.

North Korea announced in 2003 that it was withdrawing from the treaty.  It tested a nuclear weapon in 2006, but in 2007 agreed to a denuclearization agreement in talks with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States.  Pyongyang began carrying out the requirements of the agreement, but more recently has begun reversing those moves (see related GSN story, today; Agence France-Presse I/Spacewar.com, Sept. 29).

ElBaradei also called on Iran to answer the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s remaining questions about its nuclear program (see related GSN story, today).

"I urge Iran to implement all the transparency measures ... required to build confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program at the earliest possible date," he said.  “This will be good for Iran, good for the Middle East region and good for the whole world.”

He added:  "Substantial progress has been made, especially regarding the scope and nature of Iran's uranium enrichment program. … We have been able to continue to verify the nondiversion of declared nuclear material in Iran.”

"Although Iran has so far produced only a limited quantity of low-enriched uranium, which remains under agency safeguards, this is still a cause for concern for the international community in the absence of full clarity about Iran's past and present nuclear program,” ElBaradei added (Agence France-Presse II/Spacewar.com, Sept. 29).

Iranian atomic energy chief Gholamreza Aghazadeh canceled a planned trip to the IAEA meeting, Iranian state media reported today.  Agency envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh and Iranian Atomic Energy Organization deputy head Mohammed Saeedi are expected to represent Tehran (Agence France-Presse III/Spacewar.com, Sept. 28).

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.