Video: North Korea Removed From Terrorist Sponsors List
October 13th, 2008
Sean McCormack, a State Department spokesman, announced this weekend that North Korea has agreed to all nuclear inspection demands. As a result, the U.S. has removed North Korea from a terrorist sponsors list. Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State, signed the declaration.
According to Bloomberg, North Korea will allow inspections of areas suspected of nuclear activity. As part of the deal, North Korea will disable a source of weapons-grade plutonium, the Yongbyon reactor. The agreement comes after a two-month impasse in a discussion among six countries.
“Every element of verification that we sought is included in this package,” McCormack said. “Every single thing we sought going in is part of this package.”
Shoichi Nakagawa, Japan’s Finance Minister, expressed his discontent over the decision. “It’s very regrettable. Setting aside the nuclear proliferation problem, the [abduction of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s] issue is a matter of terrorism.”
Iran and the U.S. are currently in talks about allowing inspections. The U.S. says it won’t remove Iran from the state terrorist sponsors list until it allows United Nations inspectors inside nuclear facilities.