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North Korea Stalling on Nuke Deal

Nation refuses to remove nuke cooling tower before enjoying benefits

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 24, 2007 4:15 AM CST

(Newser) – North Korea is balking at US demands that it demolish a cooling tower at its main nuclear complex and get rid of unused fuel, the AP reports. Officials insist they want the benefits from the next stage of the disarmament deal first. The US warns that North Korea could restart its reactor in just three months if it doesn't get rid of the tower and fuel.

North Korea had agreed to disable nuclear facilities in a deal struck earlier this year, but the cooling tower and fuel weren't specifically mentioned in the agreement. The US agreed to drop sanctions against North Korea and drop it from terrorism blacklists in return for the disablement measures, but the country now looks certain to miss the year-end deadline.

South Korean president-elect Lee Myung-bak, third from left, speaks during a disbanding ceremony for the Grand National Party(GNP) election committee at the GNP headquarters in Seoul, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007. Lee urged North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program and improve its human rights record, saying Thursday the longtime...
South Korean president-elect Lee Myung-bak, third from left, speaks during a disbanding ceremony for the Grand National Party(GNP) election committee at the GNP headquarters in Seoul, Thursday, Dec. 20,...   (Associated Press)
In this photo distributed by China's official Xinhua news agency, Chinese chief negotiator on Korean Peninsula nuclear issue Wu Dawei, second right, Chinese Ambassador Liu Xiaoming, left, pose for photos with chief engineer of nuclear facilities, second left, and the head of nuclear research institute in Yongbyon, North Korea, on...
In this photo distributed by China's official Xinhua news agency, Chinese chief negotiator on Korean Peninsula nuclear issue Wu Dawei, second right, Chinese Ambassador Liu Xiaoming, left, pose for photos...   (Associated Press)
South Korean protesters with defaced posters of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il shout a slogan during a rally against North Korea's nuclear program in Seoul, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2007. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill  has visited its reactor, becoming the highest-level American official to go there,...
South Korean protesters with defaced posters of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il shout a slogan during a rally against North Korea's nuclear program in Seoul, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2007. U.S. Assistant Secretary...   (Associated Press)
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