N. Korea rejects U.N. agency's call for weapons inspections

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea rejected a call by the U.N. nuclear monitoring agency for the communist country to abandon its nuclear weapons program and allow foreign inspections.

North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun said the Nov. 29 resolution was "extremely unilateral," the North Korean official news agency KCNA reported Wednesday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency's resolution urged North Korea to "give up any nuclear weapons programs expeditiously" and open "all relevant facilities to IAEA inspection and safeguards."

"Paek clarified that the government cannot accept the ... resolution," KCNA said, citing a letter sent Monday from Paek to director-general IAEA Mohamed ElBaradei.

'Deep concern'

In Vienna, the IAEA expressed "deep concern" about North Korea's response.

Paek's letter didn't respond to requests that North Korea "clarify reports of its having an undeclared uranium enrichment program," IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said Wednesday.

North Korea also left unanswered the IAEA's request for high-level talks in Vienna on Oct. 18, Fleming said.

"Dr. ElBaradei is reiterating his deep concern about the situation, his readiness to discuss all nuclear-related matters" with North Korea, Fleming said.

The IAEA previously had said it may take the matter to the U.N. Security Council if North Korea rejected its resolution.

U.S. diplomats say North Korea revealed in October it had a nuclear weapons program in violation of a 1994 agreement with the United States. The accord called for the country to freeze and eventually dismantle its nuclear weapons program in exchange for international aid to build two power plants.

The United States, with backing from Japan, South Korea and the European Union, decided to punish North Korea by suspending free fuel oil shipments beginning in December.

North Korea responded by declaring the 1994 agreement "collapsed."

Paek blamed the crisis on "hostile" U.S. policies and accused the IAEA of treating North Korea unfairly.

"I was disappointed at the IAEA board of governors still acting under the manipulation of the United States," Paek said.

Little is known about North Korea's nuclear program.

The IAEA has inspectors in North Korea but their activities are limited to monitoring an old nuclear complex north of Pyongyang and a reactor at another site.

North Korea once showed IAEA inspectors about 100 grams of weapons-grade plutonium -- not enough to make a weapon -- but U.S. officials believe the country has produced enough for several nuclear weapons.

U.S. officials also say they have evidence that North Korea has been running a new weapons program, using enriched uranium.

Pyongyang accuses the United States of delaying construction of the power plants promised under the 1994 agreement.