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POWELL: U.S. READY TO
FUND "IRREVERSIBLE" DISMANTLING OF NORTH KOREAN NUKES
Washington, DC—In an interview Aug. 12 with RFA's
Diplomatic Reporter Arin Basu and a group of Japanese
journalists, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the
United States would help bear the cost of dismantling
North Korea's plutonium and highly enriched uranium
program. However, he said North Korea has to agree to
"totally irreversible" dismantlement. In the
broad-ranging interview, Secretary Powell also told
RFA that Uyghur Muslims detained at Guantanamo Bay on
charges of terrorism would not be returned to China.
He said the Uyghurs "are not going to China" but where
they will be relocated remains unresolved.
On Burma, Secretary Powell said that the international
community must do more to put pressure on the Burmese
regime. He said Burma is missing a "golden opportunity"
to democratize. It is not enough, he said, for Burma
to simply have a road map to democracy "if it's not a
real road map and if it doesn't allow for pluralistic
activities within the political system." He added that
if Aung San Suu Kyi continues to be denied political
participation the United State would seek "other
levers" to apply against the regime.
Read excerpts from the interview with RFA's Arin
Basu:
RFA: Can the Nunn-Lugar program be applied to
North Korea? If North Korea decides to dismantle its
program, would you give them money and expertise to
jointly dismantle, the way it was done in the Soviet
Union?
SECRETARY POWELL: I don't know whether it would
be under the Nunn-Lugar framework, but certainly if
North Korea moves in this direction we understand that
outside resources would be needed to help North Korea.
I think the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
would have a role to play and all of the other parties
to the six-party talks would have a role to play.
RFA: In money and expertise?
SECRETARY POWELL: Under the Agreed Framework we
had experts who were monitoring things in North Korea,
as was the IAEA, but I think just as we did with Libya
in helping to remove the burden that it had of these
programs, we would certainly help North Korea.
It's important to say, though, it has to be done in
the context of something that is totally irreversible
and it has to be done in the context of the entire
program, all aspects of the program, and it has to be
an acknowledgement of not only the previous programs
of plutonium, but the enriched uranium programs as
well.
So, in that context, and that's the six-party talks,
certainly the United States would be willing to assist
with the cost of removal, destruction and total
elimination of the programs.
RFA: What would be the fate of the Uyghur detainees at
Guantanamo Bay? Are they going to be given asylum in
the U.S.? We understand they're not going to be sent
back to China. Are they going to be relocated to a
third country?
SECRETARY POWELL: The Uyghurs are a difficult
problem and we are trying to resolve all issues with
respect to all detainees at Guantanamo. The Uyghurs
are not going back to China, but finding places for
them is not a simple matter. We are trying to find
places for them, and, of course, all candidate
countries are being looked at.
RFA: Democracy in Burma has not progressed an
inch. There is no evidence that the U.S. sanctions on
Burma have, in any way, in any significant way,
affected the military junta. The national convention
was held without the NLD (National League for
Democracy) participation. What more can the U.S. and
the international community do?
SECRETARY POWELL: I'm disappointed that the
Government of Burma has not moved in a positive
direction with respect to democracy, with respect to
letting Aung San Suu Kyi participate in her party,
participate in the life, political life of Burma. I
think Burma is missing a golden opportunity.
The United States has, perhaps, been the most
outspoken country in the world on this subject, and we
have not only been outspoken, but we have used what we
can with our sanctions policy to express our
displeasure to the Burmese Government.
I do it at every one of my Asia meetings. I do it
every year at the ASEAN Regional Forum. And rather
than saying, 'What more can the United States do?',
what more can the rest of the international community
do, because not all members of the international
community have spoken out as clearly on this issue and
have taken the actions they might take to put pressure
on the regime.
And so we will continue to put pressure on the regime.
We will not have a satisfactory relationship with
Burma until this matter is resolved. And it is not
enough to say, 'Well, we have a road map to democracy,'
if it is not a real road map and if it doesn't allow
pluralistic activities within the political system.
And as long as Aung San Suu Kyi is denied the
opportunity to participate in the political life of
Burma, and her party is so denied, then we will
continue to speak out strongly and find out if there
are any other levers one can apply against the regime.
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