North Korea expels nuclear inspectors
Wednesday, 24 Sep 2008 20:54
North Korea tells UN weapons inspectors they are no longer welcome as country confirms plans to resume nuclear testing
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United Nations weapons inspectors have been told that they are no longer welcome in
North Korea as plans to resume nuclear testing are confirmed.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced on Tuesday that UN seals and surveillance equipment had been removed from the country's main reactor at Pyongyang' request.
"This work was completed today," an IAEA spokesperson said following director general Mohamed ElBaradei's report to the agency's board yesterday.
"There are no more IAEA seals and surveillance equipment in place at the reprocessing facility."
The IAEA added that North Korea had notified the agency that nuclear material would be reintroduced at the Yongbyon reprocessing centre in one week.
"They further stated that from here on the IAEA inspectors will have no further access to the reprocessing plant," a statement elaborated.
North Korea warned last month it was halting disablement work at plutonium-producing Yongbyon after the US refused to take its name off a terrorism blacklist.
The reclusive Communist state had earlier claimed it no longer wanted to be removed from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Six-party talks involving South Korea, Japan, China and Russia had seen the north agree to unwind its nuclear programme in return for food and fuel aid.
Washington said it would remove the north from its state terrorism sponsor blacklist as a condition of the agreement but said such a move was impossible until North Korea's declaration of disablement was recognised to an "international standard".
"Now that the US true colours are brought to light, [North Korea] neither wishes to be delisted as a 'state sponsor of terrorism' nor expects such a thing to happen," state media in North Korea quoted Pyongyang's foreign ministry as saying.
"It will go its own way."