Washington
31 July 2008
The top U.S. diplomat involved in talks on North Korea's nuclear
disarmament says the country's human rights record is abysmal. At the
same time, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill says important
progress is being made to remove nuclear weapons from the Korean
peninsula. VOA Correspondent Meredith Buel has more in this report
from Washington.
In remarks before the U.S. Senate Armed
Services Committee, Ambassador Christopher Hill says he is continuing
to press his North Korean counterparts to improve human rights.
He calls the country's extensive prison-camp system a scar on the Korean peninsula.
"The
DPRK's human rights record is, quite frankly, abysmal and everyday that
the people of North Korea continue to suffer represents an unacceptable
continuation of oppression," said Hill.
Hill says North Koreans held in prison reportedly suffer from torture, forced abortions, and, in some cases, execution.
He says human rights will be an important part of future negotiations with North Korea over its nuclear program.
In
June, North Korea submitted a long-awaited report listing its nuclear
holdings and demolished the cooling tower at its main Yongbyon nuclear
facility.
The moves are viewed as key steps in ending the
nation's nuclear weapons program, a long sought goal of the United
States and North Korea's neighbors.
The report did not include the number of atomic bombs North Korea has made.
Hill says the list of nuclear facilities did recognize important concerns.
"The
declaration package that the DPRK provided to the Chinese on June 26
addresses its nuclear program," he said. "It acknowledged our concerns
about uranium enrichment and its past nuclear proliferation activities,
specifically with Syria."
China, Russia, Japan, the United
States, and South Korea have promised Pyongyang energy, financial and
diplomatic benefits in exchange for actions leading to an end of its
nuclear-weapons capabilities.
Following the nuclear declaration,
U.S. President George Bush announced he is ready to lift some trade
sanctions against North Korea and is rescinding the country's
designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Hill says the focus now is to develop a rigorous verification program.
"We
have made some important progress on the six-party talks, but I must
tell you, as a person involved in it, that we have a lot more to be
done," he said.
This week, the State Department's director of
Korean affairs, Sung Kim, is visiting China to move forward efforts to
determine how to verify North Korea's accounting of its nuclear
program.