U.S. backs off N. Korean uranium claims

[maddezmom]

Some experts say intelligence on nuclear plans may've been flawed
BY GLENN KESSLER
Washington Post
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is backing away from its long-held assertions that North Korea has an active clandestine program to enrich uranium, leading some experts to believe that the original U.S. intelligence that started the crisis over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions may have been flawed.

The chief intelligence officer for North Korea, Joseph DeTrani, told Congress on Tuesday that while there is "high confidence" North Korea has acquired materials that could be used in a "production-scale" uranium program, there is only "mid-confidence" such a program exists. Meanwhile, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the chief negotiator for disarmament talks, last week told a conference in Washington that it is unclear if North Korea ever mastered the production techniques necessary for such a program.

If the materials North Korea bought "did not go into a highly enriched uranium program, maybe they went somewhere else," Hill said. "Fine. We can have a discussion about where they are and where they've gone."

The administration's stance today stands in sharp contrast to the certainty expressed by top officials in 2002, when the administration accused Pyongyang of running a secret uranium program — and demanded it be dismantled at once. President Bush told a news conference that November: "We discovered that contrary to an agreement they had with the United States, they're enriching uranium, with a desire of developing a weapon."

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