Diplomat: Pyongyang Links Nuclear Surrender to Gadhafi’s Defeat

Posted September 28th, 2011 at 3:14 am (UTC-5)
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A British diplomat says North Korean officials believe NATO would never have mounted air strikes in Libya if former leader Moammar Gadhafi had not given up his nuclear weapons programs.

Peter Hughes, London's outgoing ambassador to Pyongyang, said Wednesday he heard that analysis in discussions with high-ranking North Korean officials. He said that belief makes it unlikely Pyongyang will ever give up its nuclear weapons.

Mr. Gadhafi promised to dismantle his nuclear programs in a 2003 agreement that led to U.S. aid and Libya's delisting as a state sponsor of terrorism. U.S. officials say the last of Libya's stock of enriched uranium was removed from the country in 2009.

NATO air strikes, authorized by the United Nations to protect civilians, were instrumental in the defeat of pro-Gadhafi troops by rebel forces this summer.

Hughes was speaking at a forum in South Korea. He said it is also necessary to “look behind” Pyongyang's claim that it seeks the total denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

He said in reality, the whole world would have to denuclearize before North Korea would give up its weapons.

Hughes' remarks come amid mounting diplomatic activity aimed at creating conditions for a resumption of six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear activities.

In the talks, North Korea would be offered economic and other benefits in exchange for dismantling its nuclear programs. Pyongyang walked away from the talks in 2009 and staged a nuclear test a month later. But in recent months it has been pressing for the talks to resume.

The United States and South Korea have been reluctant, saying Pyongyang should honor commitments made in past negotiations before the talks resume.