N. Korea: Acknowledgements

Message To U.S. Preceded Nuclear Declaration By North Korea, (Washington Post)…Glenn Kessler, July 2, 2008
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Just days before North Korea delivered to China last week its long-awaited declaration on its plutonium-based nuclear programs, Pyongyang privately acknowledged the United States’ long-standing concerns about alleged uranium-enrichment activities and possible proliferation to Syria, U.S. and Asian officials said yesterday.

Before acknowledging U.S. concerns, North Korea had consistently denied having any kind of enrichment program.

The United States also agreed to pay North Korea $2.5 million — down from $5 million originally demanded by Pyongyang — for the televised destruction last week of the steel-reinforced concrete cooling tower attached to the Yongbyon nuclear facility, congressional sources said.

Last week, Bush set in motion a 45-day process under which North Korea will be removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.