US envoy to N Korea calls for full declaration of nuclear, missile programmes

As a second bilateral summit between Washington and Pyongyang appeared only a few weeks away, the United States special representative on North Korea policy, Stephen Biegun Stephen Biegun on Thursday called on the communist nation to disclose all of its nuclear and missile programs.

Biegun stated that the full declaration will be needed to acknowledge complete denuclearisation of the south Asian nation, reported Yonhap.

During a speech at Stanford University, referring to weapons of mass destruction, the Special Representative said, "Before the process of denuclearization can be final, we must have a complete understanding of the full extent of the North Korean WMD and missile programs through a comprehensive declaration."

Without divulging anything consequential, Biegun stated that Washington has "contingencies" prepared in case negotiations fail.

Pyongyang has been unwilling to disclose any such information, claiming that this will give the US a list of targets to destroy. Biegun, however, clarified that Washington is adamant about verifying denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

Assuring North Korea that the US has no interest in regime change, Biegun asserted, "We're not going to invade North Korea."

"We must reach agreement on expert access and monitoring mechanisms of key sites to international standards, and ultimately ensure the removal or destruction of stockpiles of fissile material, weapons, missiles, launchers and other weapons of mass destruction," the envoy said. He further acknowledged that there is a difference in the interpretation of "denuclearisation" for the two nations.