The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 09-09-04

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From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <www.ert.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] N. Korea in Final Uranium Stage

North Korea has entered the final phase of uranium enrichment, the country's state media has reported. But it also said it was continuing to reprocess and weaponise plutonium. The spent fuel rods come from the only north Korean reactor that produces plutonium, the North's KCNA news agency said.

�Uranium enrichment tests have been successfully carried out and that process is in the concluding stage," the North's KCNA news agency said.

"Reprocessing of spent fuel rods is at its final phase and extracted plutonium is being weaponised," it also added.

" KCNA reported that North Korea's delegation at the United Nations had written to the UN Security Council, saying Pyongyang was now ready "for both sanctions and dialogue".

UN diplomats said that the United Arab Emirates had seized a ship transporting North Korea weapons to Iran and had informed the UN Sanctions Committee.

In a letter to UNSC, Pyongyang warned it would never comply with 1874 resolution passed on June, 12. The UN passed tougher sanctions after a nuclear test by Pyongyang in May.

The government also warned, "If some permanent members of the UNSC wish to put sanctions first before dialogue, we would respond with bolstering our nuclear deterrence first before we meet them in a dialogue," according to KCNA.

News item: 26374

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