WASHINGTON Ñ The Bush administration will discuss plans this week in Seoul to persuade North Korea to
halt its development and export of long-range missiles and weapons of mass destruction.
Officials said the United States plans to offer North Korea
economic incentives for a change in Pyongyang's policy. The offer will be
presented during the visit of U.S. President George Bush to Seoul later this
week.
Officials also want North Korea to halt or significantly reduce missile
sales to the Middle East. They said North Korea has not slowed down sales of
missiles, components and technology to such countries as Iran, Libya and
Syria, Middle East Newsline reported.
"The North Koreans have been known to go around with glossy brochures
about their ballistic missiles," U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice told reporters last week. "They are stocking a lot of
the world right now. We believe the North is exporting to just about anybody
who will buy."
The U.S. aim is to suspend what appears to be plans by North Korea to
launch a Taepo Dong-2 missile, officials said. North Korea has refrained from
launching intermediate- or long-range missiles since 1999, but has
intensified preparations for what appears to be a Taepo Dong test in early
2003.
The effort by the Bush administration would provide aid to Pyongyang in
exchange for the continuation of a moratorium on intermediate- and
long-range missile launches as well as a reduction in North Korean exports
of ballistic missiles and subsystems. The United States, which has pledged
to provide light-water nuclear reactors to North Korea, also wants Pyongyang
to agree to inspections of suspected nuclear facilities by the International
Atomic Energy Agency.
"The United States is very clear that we are going to keep our options
open," Rice said. "Everyone at
this point should be pressuring the North Koreans to stop doing what they're
doing. What they're doing is very dangerous."
The incentives, officials said, include the removal of North Korea from
the State Department list of terrorist sponsors as well as financial aid
from the
World Bank and the Asia Development Bank. Bush is expected to meet South
Korean President Kim Dae-jung on Wednesday.
Officials said South Korea has urged Washington to offer a gesture to
North Korea to ease tensions in the Korean Peninsula. The officials said
Seoul wants to offer a package that would extend the moratorium on North
Korean missile tests.
North Korea is said be in urgent need for food and fertilizer. Officials
said they hope this will help push the leadership in Pyongyang to reach
agreement with Washington.
