North Korea Deal Complicates Nuclear Policy
The Risk Report
Volume 1 Number 1 (January-February 1995) Page 11
The U.S.-North Korea accord, hailed by U.S. officials as the best solution in a difficult situation, could create problems for controlling nuclear exports to other sensitive countries.
The October agreement opens three North Korean reactors and a plutonium plant to international inspections and prevents 8,000 spent fuel rods from being reprocessed into weapon material. However, the agreement marks the first time the United States has arranged for a country in violation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) to get nuclear reactors. This precedent could make it difficult to block sales of Chinese, Russian or German reactors to Iran, a country that has not openly broken the Treaty but which the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) suspects of running a secret bomb program.
Phases of the U.S.-North Korean Accord
What North Korea Does
Phase One: 1994-2000
Freezes, under inspection, three reactors, a plutonium plant, and 8,000 plutonium-bearing fuel rods
Allows inspection of declared nuclear sites
Phase Two: 2000-2003
Allows full inspection of two suspect sites thought to contain evidence of bomb-making
Answers all questions about its nuclear past
Sends 8,000 plutonium-bearing fuel rods out of the country
Phase Three: 2003-2005
Dismantles existing graphite reactors and plutonium plant
In Addition
Resumes diplomatic dialogue on denuclearization with South Korea
What North Korea Gets
Phase One: 1994-2000
Free oil, new reactors and aid, while keeping any plutonium or A-bombs it has already made and being freed from trade sanctions
Phase Two: 2000-2003
Increased level of aid
Key nuclear components to complete first light water reactor
Phase Three: 2003-2005
Completion of second light water reactor
In addition
U.S. pledges not to use nuclear weapons against North Korea