North Korea, Iran respond, defend nuclear programs

UNITED NATIONS -- Challenged by the U.N. nuclear chief to prove their atomic programs are peaceful, North Korea said it would scrap its "nuclear deterrence" if the United States ended its hostile policy and Iran said negotiations with three European countries may "bring fruit."\nNorth Korea's deputy U.N. ambassador Kim Chang Guk on Monday totally rejected the International Atomic Energy Agency, calling it "a political tool of the superpower." He also accused Japan of allowing U.S. nuclear weapons on its soil and South Korea of nuclear ambitions.\nIran's deputy U.N. ambassador Mehdi Danesh-Yazdi was less strident, but stressed that Tehran "is determined to pursue its inalienable rights to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes." He also criticized the international community for targeting Iran's nuclear program while saying nothing about Israel's.\nIAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei challenged both countries in his annual report to the U.N. General Assembly, urging Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment program "as a confidence building measure" and North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program or at least allow inspections to ensure it is "exclusively peaceful."\nHe expressed hope that Iran will decide to suspend enrichment before the IAEA board meets in Vienna, Austria on Nov. 25. Britain, Germany and France have warned that most European countries would back the United States' call to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council if the Iranian government does not abandon all enrichment activities before the board meeting.\nUranium enriched to a low level can be used to produce nuclear fuel for electricity-generating plants, but if enriched further can be used to make atomic weapons. Iran is not prohibited from enriching uranium under its obligations to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, but is barred from arms-related work.\nDanesh-Yazdi said Iran has a right "to develop, research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes." But he told the General Assembly Tehran has voluntarily suspended enrichment activities since last November.\n"Iran is also currently engaged in negotiations with France, Germany and Britain to reach mutual objective assurances on nuclear cooperation, transparency and non-diversion" of nuclear material, he said. "These negotiations will bring fruit if mutual understanding, political will and good faith prevail."\nIranian President Mohammad Khatami delivered the same message Tuesday in Tehran, telling reporters it was possible Iran would continue suspension of uranium enrichment and that he was hopeful of a compromise with Europe over its nuclear program.\n"Both sides have shown essential flexibility and I am not pessimistic over the continuation of talks and achieving a result," Khatami said after a parliament session.\nThe talks with the Europeans aim at averting a standoff over Iran's nuclear weapons program at the Nov. 25 meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog. The third round of talks is to be held on Friday. The Europeans have offered Iran a trade deal and peaceful nuclear technology in return for assurances Iran would indefinitely stop enriching uranium.\nAt the moment, there aren't any negotiations taking place on North Korea's program.\nElBaradei said he was frustrated that six-nation talks involving the United States, China, Russia, Japan and the two Koreas were not moving faster.\nThe goal is to negotiate a deal for the communist regime to dismantle its nuclear weapons programs in exchange for economic help and security guarantees. The process is at a standstill because North Korea refused to show up for talks scheduled for September.\n"I'm telling the North Koreans again that the international community is ready to look into your security concerns, ready to look into your economic and humanitarian needs," ElBaradei told reporters. "But a prerequisite is for them to commit themselves to full, verifiable, dismantlement of their weapons program -- as they say they have a weapons program."\nNorth Korea's Kim blamed the United States for the nuclear problem on the Korean peninsula, dismissed the IAEA, and said "it is a political military question to be settled" between Pyongyang and Washington.\nNorth Korea has made it clear that if the United States "renounces its hostile policy ... including (its) nuclear threat, (North Korea) is willing to scrap its nuclear deterrence accordingly," Kim said, stressing his country's commitment "to the ultimate goal of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula."\nAfter about 20 speeches, the General Assembly voted on a resolution supporting the IAEA's "indispensable role" in promoting the peaceful uses of atomic energy "and in nuclear safety, verification and security." The vote was 123-1, with only North Korea opposing the resolution.