Clinton laying out terms for North Korea on nukes

Asked by a reporter what specific steps North Korea must take, Clinton indicated they include dismantling its main nuclear reactor at Yongbyon and surrendering its plutonium stockpile. The particular details of required actions are to be determined by technical experts, she added.

"We do not want to be in another negotiation that doesn't move us toward the goal of denuclearization," she said. "So we want verifiable, irreversible steps taken."

She said the Obama administration knows it will be difficult to achieve this goal, given North Korea's record of having agreed during the Bush administration to end its nuclear program, only to change course. Last year it declared so-called six-party negotiations — with the U.S., Russia, China, Japan and South Korea — dead.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told reporters Thursday that it was important to restart the stalled talks soon.

"I believe this is an effective platform from which one can proceed to cooperate on the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula," he said. "China will continue to do its best."

The concern in Asia and the United States about North Korea's nuclear program goes beyond the prospect of the communist regime having the capacity to threaten nuclear attack.

It also reflects a growing worry that a nuclear-armed North would lead Japan, South Korea and possibly others in the region to decide they, too, must embark on development of a nuclear arsenal. And there is worry that North Korea, desperate for cash, could sell its nuclear know-how to other nations or even to a terrorist group.

Clinton is winding up a weeklong Asia trip where she has discussed a range of security issues, including political repression in Myanmar, the military-run country also known as Burma.

U.S. officials held out the possibility of a lower-level meeting, or exchange, here Thursday with a representative of either Myanmar or North Korea, or both. But Clinton has said she had no intention of meeting with anyone from either delegation.

Clinton told reporters Wednesday that the U.S. is convinced Myanmar is taking the wrong road by associating with North Korea — possibly moving toward developing military ties and even a nuclear relationship.

Clinton also called for Myanmar to release democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is accused of violating the terms of her house arrest. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate faces up to five years in prison if convicted, as expected.

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