North Korea 'not recognised' as nuclear state
The United States and South Korea today agreed that they will not treat North Korea as a nuclear state, indicating a difficulty at revived disarmament talks with Pyongyang that has claimed it is a full atomic power.
Seoul and Washington also agreed during high-level strategy talks for the need of “full and effective” implementation of a UN sanctions resolution against the communist regime for its nuclear test.
However, they made no mention of a US initiative primarily aimed at the North that seeks to stem proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, envisaging stopping ships suspected of trafficking.
The US has said it wants the South to increase its participation in the US-led Proliferation Security Initiative in light of the North’s October 9 nuclear test and UN Security Council sanctions banning the country’s weapons trade, but so far Seoul has only sent observers to exercises.
The talks today included Nicholas Burns, US under-secretary of state for political affairs. He was joined by Robert Joseph, US under-secretary of state for arms control and international security, who originally hadn’t planned to travel to Seoul.
