US, North Korea, Reach Deal to Salvage Nuclear Accord
美国北韩达成一致恢复执行核协议
The United States has reached an agreement with North Korea to resume implementation of the six-party accord to end that country's nuclear weapons program. The Bush administration said Saturday it is removing North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism in return for new assurances from Pyongyang on verifying its nuclear activities.
美国与北韩达成协议,恢复执行六方会谈达成的终止北韩核武器项目的协议。美国政府星期六表示,准备把北韩从支持恐怖主义国家的名单上拿掉,作为平壤重新允许核查北韩核项目活动的交换条件。
The agreement, the product of weeks of high-level diplomacy, ends a dispute over verification that threatened to scuttle the deal under which Pyongyang is to scrap its nuclear program for aid and diplomatic benefits.
这份协议是经过几个星期的高层外交努力达成的,从而终止了在核查北韩核项目活动问题上的纠纷。这场纠纷险些破坏先前的协议。根据先前的协议,平壤同意废除核项目以获得援助和外交好处。
Bush administration officials say that as a result of the talks, including a Pyongyang visit by chief U.S. delegate Christopher Hill a week ago, North Korea has agreed to a series of measures that represent "significant cooperation" in verifying the declaration of its nuclear program made in June.
布什政府官员表示,作为多次会谈的结果,包括美国首席谈判代表希尔上星期访问平壤,北韩同意采取一系列措施,在允许核查北韩今年6月提交的核项目活动清单问题上,表现出“明显的合作”。
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack says the deal means Pyongyang is being removed from the U.S. terrorism blacklist, and North Korea in turn will reverse steps it has taken recently toward restarting its disabled Yongbyon reactor complex.
美国国务院发言人麦科马克表示,这个协议意味着正在将北韩从美国的支持恐怖主义国家黑名单上拿掉,作为交换,北韩将停止最近重启宁边反应堆的工作。
"The secretary of state this morning rescinded the designation of the DPRK as a state sponsor of terrorism, and that was effective with her signature. North Korea has stated it will resume disablement of its nuclear facilities. This demonstrates that the six-party principle of action-for-action is working," he said.
他说:“国务卿赖斯星期六早上将北韩自支持恐怖主义国家的名单上拿掉,她签了字,使这个决定生效。北韩已经声明将继续核设施的去核化工作。这证明六方会谈以行动换取行动的原则有成效。”
North Korea had accused the United States of reneging on a promise to remove it from the terrorism list when it made its declaration June 26. The United States said delisting was always dependent on Pyongyang providing an acceptable verification plan.
北韩原来指责美国违背承诺,在北韩6月26号提交核项目活动清单以后,美国并没有将北韩从支持恐怖主义国家名单上拿掉。但是美国当时表示,将北韩从名单上拿掉永远取决于平壤能否提供一个让人接受的核查计划。
Administration officials who briefed reporters said the agreed verification plan - to be adopted by all six parties to the negotiations at a Beijing meeting in a few weeks - includes all terms, among them visits to undeclared North Korean nuclear sites, that the United States sought from the beginning.
向记者通报情况的美国官员说,六方会谈国家几个星期内将在北京开会批准的核查计划包括所有美国从一开始就在争取的条件,包括允许在未经通知的情况下进入北韩核设施。
Critics of the Bush administration, among them former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, have accused the State Department of softening verification demands to try to keep the nuclear deal afloat and claim a foreign policy triumph.
包括前任美国驻联合国大使博尔顿在内的人对布什政府提出批评,指责美国国务院降低核查要求,以便让这个北韩核项目协议继续存在,以便用来宣称外交政策上的胜利。
There were similar comments Friday from Republican Presidential candidate John McCain.
共和党总统候选人麦凯恩星期五也发出类似的评论。
McCormack said the deal achieved "every single element" of the administration verification agenda, which he said was driven not by domestic political considerations but U.S. national interests.
美国国务院发言人麦科马克表示,这次协议包括了美国政府核查纲要的“每一项内容”,他说,这不是出于国内政治考量,而是出于美国国家利益的考量。
"The secretary and the president wouldn't take these kinds of decisions if they didn't think that these decisions would help us - the United States - ultimately get to the goal of de-nuclearizing the Korean peninsula. Again, without compromising on principle," he said.
他说:“如果国务卿和总统认为这些决定不会帮助美国最终实现朝鲜半岛去核化的目标,他们就不会做出这样的决定。再说一遍,我们没有在原则上妥协。”
Candidate McCain and others have also suggested that removing North Korea from the terrorism list undercuts Japan, which has been pressing Pyongyang to account for a number of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 80s.
共和党总统候选人麦凯恩和其他人同时认为,将北韩从支持恐怖主义国家名单上拿掉会打击日本。日本一直督促平壤说明北韩上个世纪70年代和80年代劫持的日本公民的去向。
McCormack said the United States "wholeheartedly" supports Japan's position on the abduction issue and will never forget the suffering of the Japanese victims and their families.
He noted that even after terrorism-related sanctions against North Korea are lifted, it remains subject to numerous sanctions related to its 2006 nuclear weapons test, proliferation activity, and human rights record.
The White House said President Bush made the same points in a telephone call to Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso Saturday morning.
白宫方面表示,布什总统星期六早上与日本首相麻生太郎通电话时也强调了这些情况。
Democratic presidential candidate Barak Obama, in a written statement, called the agreement a modest step forward. He said the decision to remove North Korea from the terrorism list is an appropriate response, as long as there is a clear understanding that if Pyongyang fails to follow through on its obligations there will be "immediate consequences."
美国民主党总统候选人奥巴马发表书面声明说,这个协议是向前迈了一小步。他说,只要各方都很清楚,如果北韩不遵守应尽的义务,就会“马上出现后果”,将北韩从支持恐怖主义国家名单上拿掉的决定就是适当的。