US calls on North Korea to account for uranium

SEOUL, March 6 (Reuters) The United States expects North Korea to fully account for its programme to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons as a part of the deal it struck to start scrapping its atomic arms, a senior official said today.

''I have no doubt that North Korea has had a highly enriched uranium programme,'' US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said during a visit to Seoul.

Under a six-country deal reached on February. 13, Pyongyang committed to begin discussions within 60 days to produce a comprehensive list of its nuclear activities, including enrichment.

''We would expect that when North Korea makes its declaration of nuclear facilities that that would be one of the issues addressed in North Korea's declaration,'' he told a news conference.

Negroponte said the agreement reached last month was a good first step.

Among the initial steps, secretive and impoverished North Korea is expected to shut down its reactor and source of weapons-grade plutonium, as well as allow in international atomic inspectors, in exchange for energy aid.

''We have an early test of North Korea's willingness and disposition to comply with the terms of the Feb. 13 statement,'' he said.

After reaching the nuclear deal last month, the United States has acknowledged gaps in its intelligence about whether the North had the technology and material needed to produce highly enriched uranium for weapons.

The Bush administration's allegations about the programme in 2002 caused a 1994 US-North Korea nuclear agreement to unravel.

After that, Pyongyang produced enough plutonium for several atomic weapons and conducted its first nuclear test.

Negroponte said it was in North Korea's interest to comply with the nuclear deal, adding as a part of the negotiating process, US officials could make a rare trip to Pyongyang.

''I don't think in the context of this negotiating framework that has been created, that that would surprising at all.'' His visit came as top officials held talks in New York aimed at eventually normalising diplomatic ties between the two countries who have been foes since the 1950-1953 Korean War.

REUTERS MS PM1659