"No proof" of nuclear non-compliance in N.Korea! Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit No proof of nuclear non-compliance found in North Korea Copyright 1999 Nando Media Copyright 1999 Associated Press WASHINGTON (May 28, 1999 3:02 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - U.S. inspection of a large tunnel complex in North Korea yielded no evidence that North Korea is in violation of a 5-year-old nuclear agreement, a State Department spokesman said Friday. The spokesman, James P. Rubin, also said that while special envoy William Perry did not meet with North Korean President Kim Jong Il, his delegation was "well received" in Pyongyang and met with a number of top officials during a visit that ended earlier in the day. The trip by the former defense secretary to assess North Korean views was separate from the work of a 14-member inspection team that examined a site U.S. officials had suspected might be hiding nuclear construction activity. On the inspection of the underground facility at Kumchangni, Rubin said, "Based on what we know thus far there is no basis to conclude that North Korea is in violation of the agreed framework." He was referring to a 1994 agreement under which North Korea would receive fuel oil and non-weapons nuclear reactors in exchange for abandoning any nuclear program that might be used to develop armaments. "The underground portion of the site is a large empty tunnel complex," Rubin said. "Construction was unfinished and no equipment was present." Addressing speculation that nuclear-related equipment might have been moved out before U.S. inspectors arrived, Rubin said, "It was at a stage of construction prior to the time when any relevant equipment other than construction equipment would be expected to be present." Rubin gave no information on how North Korea described the purpose of the site to the inspectors. He said their focus was on determining whether it was a nuclear site, not on what North Koreans told them it was. Rubin said another inspection is scheduled next year, and arrangements are expected to be made with the North Koreans for other inspections if concerns are raised again. "We have the right to return," he said. "In anticipation of an outcome such as this preliminary one, we wanted to ensure future visits so that we could fully remove our suspicions about the intended use of the site." On Perry's visit, which was the first visit to the communist regime by a delegation officially representing the U.S. president, Rubin said the success on Perry's trip did not hinge on whether he could see the top leader. "The delegation met with a range of senior officials from political, foreign affairs and defense circles and thereby heard authoritative views," Rubin said. Perry, who was meeting Saturday in Seoul with Korean and Japanese officials before returning to Washington, is preparing a report for President Clinton and Congress on U.S. policy toward North Korea. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytas-05.29.99-00:41:42-8631