The Hindu : International : "A repetition of 1994 accord"

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 14, 2007
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International

International

"A repetition of 1994 accord"

Pallavi Aiyar

BEIJING: The agreement here on North Korea's nuclear programme has been felt by some in the United States as merely a repetition of the 1994 accord between Pyongyang and Washington, bringing little new to the table.

The 1994 deal, called the "framework agreement," unravelled in 2002 after the Clinton administration accused Pyongyang of seeking to produce weapons-grade uranium.

However, according to the New York Times, officials in Washington are claiming that the current agreement is different because North Korea will not receive light-water nuclear reactors like the ones it was promised under the 1994 agreement.

In addition, the new agreement has been signed by North Korea's immediate neighbours, including China, a country that is assumed to have some clout in Pyongyang.

China is, in fact, widely credited with getting the whole six-party process back on track following North Korea's nuclear test last October.

The mainland provides 90 per cent of North Korea's oil and is believed to have leaned on North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to help reach the current deal.

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