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09-22-2008, 04:28 PM | #1 |
Avalon Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: U.K.
Posts: 3,380
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IAEA removes seals at Yongbyon plant
North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear facility
North Korea has asked the UN nuclear watchdog to remove its seals at Yongbyon in a move that may lead toward the restoration of its program. "This morning, the DPRK (North Korea) authorities asked the Agency's inspectors to remove seals and surveillance equipment to enable them to carry out tests at the reprocessing plant, which they say will not involve nuclear material," UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei told the 35-member IAEA Board of Governors on Monday. A senior diplomat close to the UN nuclear watchdog has revealed that the seals have since been removed but did not elaborate, Reuters reported. This comes after North Korea announced last week that it was making 'thorough preparations' to restart its Yongbyon nuclear reactor. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had installed the seals and cameras to monitor a nuclear freeze that North Korea conceded to last year in six-party talks involving the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea. Under the deal, the United States agreed to take Pyongyang off its list of terrorist states and ease trade sanctions on the country. North Korea was also to receive energy aid, a large part of which it has not yet received. The North began decommissioning its nuclear program last year but halted the process last month after Washington rejected its request to be dropped from the US list of terrorist states. While ElBaradei says the removal of the seals will enable North Korea to conduct tests, Pyongyang says the tests will not involve nuclear material. http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id...onid=351020405 |
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