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North Korea bans IAEA inspectors
North Korea News.Net
Thursday 9th October, 2008
North Korea has banned inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency from its nuclear complex in Yongbyon.
The IAEA has reported Pyongyang told its inspectors that it was preparing to restart the facility, therefore agency monitoring was no longer appropriate.
The reclusive communist regime also announced it had stopped disabling its nuclear facilities.
Two weeks ago, Pyonyang started limiting access in Yongbyon by stopping IAEA monitoring of its plutonium reprocessing facility.
Experts with the Vienna-based IAEA are permanently stationed at the nuclear complex to make sure it remains shut down as agreed under the six-party agreement.
After its nuclear weapons test in 2006, North Korea agreed in 2007 with the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea to freeze and disable its nuclear facilities in exchange for energy aid and an easing of sanctions.
In late September, the reclusive communist country told the IAEA that it was planning to restart reprocessing and had inspectors remove seals and cameras.
North Korea's actions are seen as a reaction to Washington's reluctance in dropping the East Asian regime from its list of countries sponsoring terrorism.
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