US Expects North Korean Nuclear Declaration Thursday

美国预期北韩星期四全面申报核情

　



U.S. officials say they expect North Korea to make its long-delayed declaration about its nuclear program on Thursday, and if it does the Bush administration is ready to begin dropping sanctions against Pyongyang. A senior State Department official is heading to North Korea for the demolition, expected Friday, of a key element of the country's Yongbyon nuclear site.

　

美国官员说，他们预期北韩将在星期四全面申报其核计划。这一申报被拖延已久。若确实如此，布什政府准备开始取消对平壤的制裁。美国国务院一位资深官员将前往北韩监督预计周五进行的拆除宁边核设施的一个关键设备的工作。

Officials in Washington say they are taking nothing for granted, given the delays that have put the six-party Korean disarmament deal several months behind schedule.

　

在华盛顿的美国官员说，他们并不能确定这些进展都能够实现，考虑到北韩的拖延已经导致关于北韩核裁军的六方会谈达成的协议落实已经落后了几个月之久。

But they say all indications are that North Korea will submit the declaration to the Chinese sponsors of the talks sometime Thursday, and that the United States is prepared to immediately begin reciprocal steps if that occurs.

　

不过，美国官员说，各种迹象表明，北韩将在星期四的某个时刻向六方会谈的参加国之一的中国提交这份申报书，如果北韩真的那样做，美国准备立即开始实行对等的步骤。

North Korea agreed in a deal finalized last year to end its nuclear program in exchange for aid and diplomatic benefits from the other parties to the talks.

　

北韩在去年年底最终达成的一项协议中同意中止其核项目来换取参加六方会谈的其它各方在援助和外交方面的好处。

North Korea has shut down and is in the process of disabling the Yongbyon reactor complex that produced the plutonium for the nuclear weapon it tested in 2006.

　

北韩已经关闭同时也在进行拆除宁边核反应堆的工作。北韩2006年进行核武器试验用的钸就是在这里生产的。

The declaration, in which Pyongyang is to list all its nuclear holdings and activities, was due at the end of last year and is to open the way to the next phase of the accord.

　

平壤还需要在去年年底之前全面申报其所有核储备以及核活动，从而为协议的下一阶段的履行开辟道路。

In a talk with reporters, State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said the Bush administration is ready - once the declaration is submitted - to fulfill its side of the deal.

　

美国国务院副发言人汤姆．凯西对记者说，一旦北韩的申报提交，布什政府准备立即履行美方答应的条件。

That means dropping long-standing trade sanctions against North Korea under the 1917 Trading-With-The-Enemy Act, and informing Congress of its intention to remove that country from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

　

这意味著取消根据1917年与敌方贸易法案而对北韩实行的贸易制裁，通知美国国会美国政府有意把北韩从美国列出的支持恐怖主义的国家名单中去除。

Casey stressed that in the 45-day period before North Korea is dropped from the terrorism list, the United States and other parties to the accord will put in place a mechanism to verify the facts of the nuclear declaration.

The spokesman, acknowledging skepticism about the deal among some members of Congress, stressed that North Korea will not reap the full benefits of the agreement unless it keeps its commitment to completely scrap its nuclear program.

　

这位美国国务院发言人承认，一些美国国会议员对这项协议存有疑虑，不过凯西强调指出，除非北韩致力于完全放弃它的核计划，否则北韩将得不到协议上面的所有好处。

"Frankly the net effect of the removal of North Korea from the terrorism list, and the Trading-With-The-Enemy Act, is actually quite minimal. So again, I think we are proceeding in a cautious manner. We are proceeding in a manner that we believe appropriate, that responds action-for-action and good-faith actions for good-faith actions by the North Koreans," he said.

　

凯西说：“坦率地说，把北韩从支持恐怖主义国家的名单上以及与敌方贸易法案上除名，其实际效果相当轻微。所以，我重申我认为我们正以审慎的态度处理这个问题。我们正以我们相信是适当的方式来对北韩的行动作出相应的回应，对北韩的善意回应相应的善意。“

North Korea is expected to underscore its commitment to the six-party deal on Friday by demolishing, with explosive charges, the massive cooling tower of the Yongbyon reactor.

　

北韩预计会以星期五的拆除行动强调其在六方会谈协议上的承诺。北韩计划用炸药炸毁宁边核反应堆的巨大的冷却塔。

Casey said State Department Korean Affairs Director Sung Kim will attend the event, expected to be broadcast live, along with representatives of the other parties to the accord, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea.

　

凯西说，美国国务院南北韩事务的负责人金成将观看宁边核反应堆冷却塔爆破的情况，预计爆破过程将进行电视现场转播，参加六方会谈的中国，俄罗斯，日本和韩国等其它国家的代表也将观看。

He said Kim will also hold talks with North Korean officials on verifying the declaration.

　

凯西说，金成还将和北韩官员就核查北韩的申报进行会谈。

The six-party accord is to lead eventually to normalized relations between North Korea and both the United States and Japan.

The White House says President Bush spoke by telephone Wednesday with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to stress U.S. understanding of Japanese concern about North Korean abductions of Japanese nationals.

More than a dozen Japanese are believed to have been abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s and Pyongyang has still not accounted for all of them.

Japan had voiced opposition to removing North Korea from the U.S. terrorism list until the abduction issue is fully resolved.

Bush administration officials say they raise the matter at every opportunity with the North Koreans, and it must be resolved to the satisfaction of Japan before the six-party deal comes to a final conclusion.