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N. Korea official: U.S. threatens nuclear strike
From CNN Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- The United States is threatening North Korea with a "pre-emptive nuclear strike," North Korea's ambassador to Russia said Tuesday, according to Russia's Interfax news agency. Ambassador Pak Ui Chun also blamed Washington for Pyongyang's inability to meet its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, Interfax reported. "North Korea is not currently able to meet its commitments under the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons," Pak said at a news conference at Interfax's main office in Moscow Tuesday. "This is the fault of the United States." The ambassador charged the United States has practically withdrawn from the 1994 framework agreement with North Korea, Interfax reported. Under that treaty, the North froze its nuclear program in exchange for the United States building a light water reactor to provide electric power. The U.S., Japan, South Korea and the European Union also were supplying fuel oil but stopped shipments when North Korea acknowledged in October that it has a secret nuclear weapons program. North Korea expelled the remaining two international nuclear monitors this week after announcing it would reactivate the Yongbyon nuclear power plant, which is capable of producing enough weapons-grade plutonium to make two or three nuclear bombs per year. According to Interfax, Pak said any solution for the nuclear issue depended only on the United States, but he said Washington was trying to "internationalize" the issue in order to put pressure on the North. His comments came as Russia, which has strong ties to the North, urged Pyongyang not to withdraw from the non-proliferation treaty. The North Korean Embassy was not available for comment.
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