U.S. offers DPRK energy, security guarantee for giving up nukes

After nearly two years of refusing to give in to what it called "nuclear blackmail," the Bush administration presented on Wednesday its first detailed offer to DPRK to end its nuclear program in return for energy aid from neighboring countries and a pledge that the United States would not try to topple DPRK regime.

The plan, presented at talks in Beijing and described by State Department officials, would provide aid and security guarantees as soon as DPRK agrees to give up its nuclear activities. DPRK then would have three months to shut down the program, disable some weapons components and key facilities and provide a complete list of its nuclear activities, including a secret program for enriching uranium that the DPRK deny exists. A schedule would be set up to dismantle all nuclear facilities and remove them from the country. And the United States would open direct talks to discuss other steps to end DPRK's pariah status.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the plan would "yield lasting benefits to the DPRK after the dismantlement has been completed."

DPRK had no response. Instead, it resubmitted a previous proposal to trade a freeze in operations at its Yongbyon nuclear complex for aid.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan described the U.S. plan as "a practical series of steps to achieve the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear program. ... One way to look at this is to look at the Libya model: Good faith action on North Korea's part will be met with good faith response by the other parties."

The United States lifted some restrictions on U.S. commerce with Libya this year in return for Libya giving up its weapons of mass destruction programs and satisfying claims for bringing down Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988.

The Bush administration has urged DPRK for months to follow Libya's example. But until Wednesday, it had not submitted a detailed proposal. That frustrated China and neighboring countries also taking part in talks ¡ª South Korea, Russia and Japan.

Korea experts say DPRK may choose to "study" the U.S. proposal, rather than rejecting it, to avoid offending the Chinese. But agreement is unlikely before U.S. elections.

Source: Agencies