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Powell, Rice: Iraq, North Korea 'Not Identical Situations'
Monday, October 21, 2002
By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service

“We are looking at all of the things that rest on the Agreed Framework to see what is in our interest to keep doing, what is in our interest not to keep doing. We also have to remember that there is a great deal of stored plutonium in a facility on Yongbyon that is monitored by the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Administration or Agency, as well as Department of Energy employees, and we don't want to see that suddenly become unwatched. So we have to be very careful and move with a certain deliberateness here and in consultation with our friends and allies.”

WASHINGTON -- AFIS
American concerns about Iraq and North Korea are "quite different" and will be dealt with individually, two senior Bush administration officials said Oct. 20.

Officials announced last week that North Korea has admitted to developing nuclear weapons, a direct violation of at least four international agreements and treaties. Iraq has been flouting international sanctions and agreements for more than a decade.

National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice warned against "cookie cutter foreign policy" on the CBS news program "Face the Nation." She said it would be a mistake to assume the circumstances surrounding the two rogue nations should be treated the same by the international community.

"The cases are both very dangerous, and we're concerned about both," she said.

She detailed how Iraq has thrown out U.N. weapons inspectors, invaded neighboring countries, and used weapons of mass destruction against its own people. "Iraq is in a class by itself," Rice said.
(More: DoD News Source)
2002 © The United States Department of Defense.

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