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North Korea0 November
The North-South dialogue remainedirtual standstill during November as Pyongyang unilaterally postponed the. initial meetings of the Joint RecorrCiliation. Military, Economic and Sociocuhura! Commissions to protestouth Korean planning for the Team Spirit military exercise. The Joint Nuclear Control Cornnussion met twice but made no progressilateral nuclear inspection agreement. Tensions also increased between Pyongyang and the IAEA as the North threatened io refuse lurtncr inspection'; unless Team Spiiit is scrapped, j
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Status of Nerotiairon* on ihe Rccoocitiauun Accord
In November North Korea winded negcuations io implement the reconciliation accord in protest of planning for resumption of the annual US-South Korean military exercise Team Spiritoreover. Pyongyang rJireatened to halt the dialogue completely if the South did not innounce cancellation of Team Spirit byor their part. South Korean offkiils said they would not change their plans unless the two tides stMxeeded in carrying out bilateral nuclear inspections before therne-mim'sterial meeting.
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Joua Reccciciliaoon. Miliary, frcawmic. and Socioculmrsl CcmtsiMi that had been scr^ukdm November They also faded toiliury hotline on f, November is they had agreed at the September rjnme-rrumsterial.he Prime Minisers are still set to rneei inwnber for their ninth rottnd of high-level talks.
Status of NeRCtiatkini on (he Denudes riratk* Accord
In November debate over joint US-South Korean miliary exercises dominated me nuclear talks. Pyongyang postponed the ICrh meeting of the Jctm Nuclear Control Commission fromo II November to protest what it called the Souths -arstidiaJogue' attitjrJe--pc:ntL-ii in parycular io the Foal Eagle aod Hwaring exercises that were then under wj*
Tbe Joint Nuciear Control Commission
Tenth JNCC Meeting, It November. The two sides failed to dust bilateral inspection regime,!
North's ermre meeting denouncing Teum Spirit una
tlueatening to saspend the North-South dialogue unless Seoul canceled the exercise The South argued the Team Spirit issue could be 'resolved- if the two sidesilateral regime and urrfertook inspections before the December txune-iruniuerial talks.
NCC Meeting,ovember. There was no progress in this meting, according to press reports. The North again demanded Seoul cancel Team Spint by the end of November. The South reiteratedinspection regime and conduct it least one bilateral inspection before Team Spirit could
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be -dressed. The North reponedly rejected lhe Souths ptopoial forworking level meeting, bui the commission chairmenen rfjte for the new JNCC rneetwg through the liaison officeParanunjcm
Assessingoaranda Line
bi November Pyongyang reacted id charges Listing Nora. Korea to prol iferaoonThe modi, extolled North Kenan-Syrian mihtary tses in connectionisit by Chief of Genera) Sufi Caoe Kwang to Damascus duringovember but also showed sensitivity to Western repocts--one of which coiiscided with Choc's visit-about the North's missile proliferation and chcmicil and biological warfare program;
Disregarding the oervious risk of raising mtcrnational concern about the regime's involvernent infrmnon. Pyongyang's media gave unusually heavy coverage to VKe Marshal Choc's visit Reports described meeting* with Syrian officials, including President al-Asad. as involving discussions of "friendship and cooperation between the armies" of Bsc two countries and seeking "ways to develop ihesehoc who tjolabcro rnrrnrer. was the third seruor North Korean official to visa Syria as the past four months. Foreign Minister and Poliiouro member Kim Yong-eam and Frnancc Minister Yun Kj-chong made separate visits in Jury.
ReactingSNtfiandarocte--rcleased onorth Korean ship was allegedly on us way to Syriaand Iran withScud missiles, the Korea Central News Agency onovember belatedly called the reportalse rumor" planted by thr CIA.
' Onoreign Ministry spokesman characterized allegations by -some US media- thai Pyongyang possessestockpile of chemical and germ warfare weapons- as "anotker slander- that the United Sow and Sou* Korea concocted in order to increase termor, ot, the Korean PemrtsulaJ
IAEA Devesopttariais
Disring November North Korea appeared to be on the brink of ending its cooperation with ihe IAEA which ccasduded its fourth ad hoc inspection at Yongbyon on
"North became increasingly urvcoopcrafvc
Foreign Ministry statementovember
warned thai the Team Spirit mihtary exercise and US pressure on the nuclear issue could
put fbinrc IAEA inspections at risk. For example, when queried ashe location of liquid radioactive waste sites. North Korean officials offered no satisfactory response. They abo accused the chief IAEA inspector of being an instrument of US irrtclligencc.
Onovember Ihe iaea notified P'yongyang it wanted to conduct an informal vim:Utilities at
/ The North coanterproposed thai its
Minuter ol Atomic bnergy visit Vienna to discuss safeguards issues. The iaea accepted Pyongyang's proposal but argued the rninisier's trip should rake place after the iaea's visit to Yongbyon. Pyongyang did net respond to the iaea's original rcqjcst. however, forcing the inspectors to suspend plans for their visit.
The iaea must now determine iu next steps. The proposed visit had been planned to tittrnediatery precedeecember iaea Board of Governors
IThe iaka could still use the Hoard meeting to raise tne ante oy
ormai special Inspection at Yongbyon and arguing thai immediate accessto aetermine whether the North Is hiding nuefcur material.
Original document.
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