Wary US welcome for N. Korean nuclear report

There has been a cautious White House welcome of North Korea’s delivery of nuclear data. But Washington’s response came with a warning that Pyongyang will face consequences if it does not fully disclose its operations.

US President George W. Bush, who once branded North Korea part of the “Axis of Evil” is now acting to remove it from a US list of state terrorism sponsors. “Today is a positive day. It is a positive step forward. There is more work to be done and we have got the process in place to get it done in a verifiable way,” he said.

North Korea’s nuclear report has earned it key economic benefits from the US which is acting to lift sanctions imposed under the “Trading with the Enemy Act.” North Korea’s actions are also seen as a crucial step forward by its South Korean neighbours.

South Korea’s foreign minister Yu Myung-hwan said it would be regrettable if the matter of nuclear weapons was not accounted for in full. But he described the handing over of the dossier as a “significant starting point,” saying that South Korea’s government evaluated the move “very positively.”

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