Mohamed ElBaradei |
North Korea must be regarded as a nuclear power, German news agency DPA reported Monday, quoting the head of the United Nations' international nuclear watchdog.
Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also said in Beijing, four days after North Korea forced the agency's inspectors out of the country, that North Korea could restart its main nuclear facility within months, according to DPA.
Therefore, North Korea must be persuaded to return to the negotiating table as quickly as possible, he said.
"North Korea has nuclear weapons, which is a matter of fact," ElBaradei said of the nation that conducted a nuclear test in 2006.
"I don't like to accept any country as a nuclear weapon state," ElBaradei said but added, "We have to face reality," as he counted nine nuclear powers in the world, including North Korea.
ElBaradei's comments made on the sidelines of an international conference on nuclear energy went substantially beyond the view of the United States, which does not acknowledge North Korea as a nuclear power.
Observers said Washington wants to prevent strengthening North Korea's hand at the negotiating table by equating it with eight official and de-facto nuclear powers.
The United States, Russia, China, France and Britain are officially recognized as nuclear weapons states under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and India, Pakistan and Israel are also considered nuclear powers.
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