North Korea removed from U.S. terrorism list after nuclear agreement
Conservatives criticized the deal, under which North Korea will permit international inspectors to return, and the U.S. will take its name off a list of countries that sponsor terrorism.
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration today removed North Korea from its list of countries that sponsor terrorism after Pyongyang agreed to allow inspectors access to declared nuclear sites, in a deal that drew quick criticism from conservatives.
After weeks of rancorous negotiations, North Korea agreed to resume the disabling of its Yongbyon plutonium plant and permit international inspectors to return.
But although U.S. officials hailed the deal as an important accomplishment, the agreement left unresolved what happens if inspectors seek access to suspicious sites that the regime has not declared. After demanding in negotiations to be given access to other sites, U.S. officials settled for language saying that entry to undeclared sites will be granted based on "mutual consent."
The ambiguities of the deal concerned some Republicans, including presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, who said he needed more persuasion that the deal was a good one.
"I expect the administration to explain exactly how this new verification agreement advances American interests and those of our allies before I will be able to support any decision to remove North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism," McCain said.
His Democratic opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, said President Bush's decision to remove North Korea from the list "is an appropriate response, as long as there is a clear understanding that if North Korea failed to follow through, there will be immediate consequences."
"If North Korea refuses to permit robust verification, we should lead all members of the six-party talks in suspending energy assistance, reimposing sanctions that have recently been waived and considering new restrictions," he said.
The administration's position marks a 180-degree turn for a team that came to office in 2001 arguing that the Clinton administration had been too lenient in its 6-year effort to trade North Korea's nuclear program for economic and political benefits. Now the Bush administration counts the program as one of its most important achievements.
Although the denuclearization program has been one of the administration's priorities, it is a complex undertaking that may stretch on for years and meet North Korean resistance at every step of the way. U.S. officials acknowledged in a news conference today that daunting obstacles remain.
