Sunday, August 3, 2003
US, Japan to form multilateral team for N Korea: Report
Associated Press Tokyo, August 3
The United States and Japan have begun talks on forming a five-nation inspection team to ensure that North Korea eliminates its nuclear weapons development programme, a major newspaper reported on Sunday.
US Undersecretary of State John Bolton began working on the details of the plan with senior Japanese officials on Friday, after receiving word North Korea had agreed to multilateral discussions on the nuclear standoff, Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun said.
The inspection team would likely consist mainly of personnel from the five countries expected to join the talks, the Yomiuri said, citing unidentified US and Japanese Government sources. The five are Russia, China, Japan, South Korea and the United States.
The team would inspect a plutonium-producing nuclear reactor, and survey enriched uranium facilities for making and testing nuclear bomb detonators, the report said. It would operate independently of the International Atomic Energy Agency but would enlist the international nuclear watchdog's cooperation if necessary, the report added.
Japanese foreign ministry officials could not immediately be reached for comment, and there was no word on whether Pyongyang would accept the inspectors.
The report said the authorities believe North Korea will be more likely to allow the inspections if they involve China and Russia, which have traditionally had friendly relations with Pyongyang.
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