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North Korea off blacklist

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

October 12, 2008

WASHINGTON - After North Korea relented on nuclear inspection demands, the United States yesterday erased from a terrorism blacklist the communist country President George W. Bush once branded part of an "axis of evil." The U.S. step, assailed by some conservatives who say it is sketchy and rewards North Korea's bad behavior, is aimed at salvaging a faltering disarmament accord before Bush leaves office in January.

State Department officials said the inspection agreement and the decision to take North Korea off the state sponsors of terrorism list were in the interests of national security and consistent with the "action for action" principle of the negotiations. Bush approved the action on Friday and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice followed suit yesterday.

"Every single element of verification that we sought going in is part of this package," Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Sean McCormack told reporters at a rare weekend briefing. The North's removal from the list was effective immediately.

The terrorism designation - now shared only by Cuba, Iran, Syria and Sudan - carries severe penalties. But U.S. officials said North Korea would not see any immediate benefit because it is punished under other programs and could return to the list if it does not comply with the inspections.

The United States previously had demanded the six-nation group negotiating with North Korea - China, Japan, North and South Korea, Russia and the United States - approve the agreement before the administration would drop the North from the terrorism list.

North Korea will allow atomic experts to take samples and conduct forensic tests at all of its declared nuclear facilities and undeclared sites on mutual consent, according to the accord.

The blacklist decision had been in the works since chief U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill returned from a trip to North Korea late last week. On his visit, he proposed a face-saving compromise under which the North would accept the verification plan after the delisting was announced.

Removing North Korea from the list was immediately criticized by some conservatives who said it goes too far and sends a bad signal to other U.S. adversaries, notably Iran. Republican presidential candidate John McCain said he would not support the step unless the United States "is able to fully verify the nuclear declaration Pyongyang submitted on June 26." In addition, he said he was worried that U.S. allies in Asia, particularly Japan, had not been properly consulted.

Democratic rival Barack Obama expressed similar concerns but called the removal of North Korea from the terrorism list "an appropriate response, as long as there is a clear understanding that if North Korea fails to follow through there will be immediate consequences." North Korea's state news agency was silent on the U.S. announcement. South Korea's Foreign Ministry could not immediately be reached early today.