Reports: NKorea May Miss Reactor Deadline

Source: Associated Press

Reports: NKorea May Miss Reactor Deadline

The Associated Press
Wednesday, April 4, 2007; 6:27 AM

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea may not meet a deadline for shutting down its
atomic reactor because of the stalled transfer of its funds frozen at a Macau bank,
top Asian diplomats said in news reports Wednesday.

-snip-

But the U.S. agreed on Feb. 13 to resolve the financial dispute in 30 days to prod
North Korea to take initial steps toward dismantling its nuclear program by shutting
down its sole operating reactor by April 14. In exchange, the North is to receive
aid worth 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil and political concessions.

However, the return of the frozen money to North Korea has been delayed by
unspecified technical problems, causing the North to suspend further talks on
its disarmament.

China's nuclear envoy Wu Dawei said Wednesday the reactor shutdown deadline
was unlikely to be met, citing a gap between the U.S. and North Korea over the
money transfer and unspecified legal problems.

-snip-


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040400493.html

let me correct the wapo:

Reactor shutdown stalled by United States' failure to release North Korean funds.

Source: Agence France-Presse

US: North Korean disarmament plans will meet deadlines

by P. Parameswaran
1 hour, 18 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States expressed confidence Thursday that
plans for North Korea to begin dismantling its nuclear weapons program from
next week would proceed as scheduled although a key condition by Pyongyang
has not been met.

The Stalinist regime has said it would not shut down its key nuclear facility by
April 14 as required under an aid-for-disarmament deal until Washington frees up
allegedly illicit North Korean money frozen in a Macau bank.

-snip-

The state-owned Bank of China has reportedly refused to be the channel for the
transfer of the funds -- previously determined by the US Treasury to be tainted
by North Korean money laundering and other illicit activity -- for fear its credit
rating would be affected.

"We still believe that it is possible to meet the 60-day deadline and are working
with the other parties to accomplish that goal," a State Department official told
AFP, referring to the February 13 disarmament agreement that set the deadline.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070406/ts_afp/nkoreausnuclearweaponstalks_070406012601

If there was ever a reason for the President of the of the United States to postpone his Easter Vacation, maybe this would be it? Just wish we had an actual President.

Yet we have Cheney and John Bolton running the traps about BS!

And check out how Bolton switching from this Real crisis with N.Korea, to Iran near the bottom!

...By lifting its objections to unfreeze the North Korean funds, the United States was sending a wrong signal to European allies and the Japanese who had adhered to US-led calls to impose financial sanctions on Iran over its defiance in pursuing a sensitive nuclear program, Bolton said. "The Treasury Department has had great success with European and Japanese financial institutions in excluding or limiting Iran's access to international financial markets," he said.... (more at link)

Source: Associated Press

N. Korea's Frozen $25M to Be Released


Friday April 6, 2007 5:01 PM

By MATTHEW LEE

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - A hitch stalling the release of North Korean funds from an Asian
bank has been resolved, clearing the way for disbursement of the money to Pyongyang
and resumption of nuclear disarmament efforts.

After two weeks of talks in Beijing, banking officials from the United States, China,
North and South Korea and the Bank of China have agreed on a “technical pathway”
for the $25 million to be returned to Pyongyang, the State Department said Friday.

“We support the release of all the funds. It is now a matter of technical implementation,”
spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.

Previously, U.S. officials had suggested privately that some of the $25 million held in
the blacklisted and now-shuttered Banco Delta Asia in the Chinese territory of Macau
might be tainted and not released.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6538109,00.html

---

EDIT: Replaced Reuters story with newer AP story.

Original story: U.S. says way found to transfer North Korea funds - Reuters