Nuclear Policy News – November 28, 2018

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Top News

North Korea’s Kim open to nuclear site inspection report
Reuters

US makes case for withdrawal from missile treaty with Russia
Associated Press

Sanctions Exemption for Korean Rail Survey Seen as Move to Spur Denuclearization
Voice of America

 

East Asia

North Korea’s Kim open to nuclear site inspection report
Reuters11/27/18
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is willing to allow inspectors into the reclusive country’s main nuclear complex in Yongbyon, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday, citing a senior diplomatic source. “I understand that Chairman Kim told (South Korean) President Moon (Jae-in) during their summit in September that if the U.S. took corresponding steps he would not only be willing to shut down the Yongbyon nuclear facilities but also allow verification,” Yonhap quoted the source as saying.

Sanctions Exemption for Korean Rail Survey Seen as Move to Spur Denuclearization
Voice of America11/27/18
The United States has granted a sanctions exemption requested by South Korea for a survey that could help reconnect railway links between North and South Korea. The sanctions were imposed by the U.N. Security Council. The move comes as nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang hit a snag. A diplomatic source told VOA’s Korean Service on Monday the exemption only applies to the survey mission, not the proposed rail-link project itself.

Fake Signals and Illegal Flags: How North Korea Uses Clandestine Shipping to Fund Regime
Wall Street Journal11/28/18
Freighters loaded with coal and oil use an array of tactics to keep trade flowing and dodge U.S. pressure.

Middle East

EU foreign policy chief determined to preserve Iran nuclear deal
Reuters11/27/18
The European Union’s top diplomat on Tuesday reiterated the bloc’s resolve to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran after meeting the head of Islamic Republic’s atomic energy agency. “They equally expressed their determination to preserve the nuclear agreement as a matter of respecting international agreements and a key pillar for European and regional security,” the European External Action Service, referring to both its head Federica Mogherini and Iranian nuclear energy chief Ali Akhbar Salehi, said in a statement.

Russia/FSU/Europe

US makes case for withdrawal from missile treaty with Russia
Associated Press11/27/18
Russia has for years been developing, testing and deploying a missile that violates a landmark nuclear weapons treaty, a senior White House official said Tuesday, making a case for the administration’s planned withdrawal from the accord ahead of a scheduled meeting between the leaders of the two nations. The nuclear-capable missile, the official said, can reach over 300 miles (500 kilometers), in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which was signed amid Cold War hostilities in 1987 and which the Trump administration is now seeking to exit.

U.S. Plans to Leave Russian Nuclear Deal, but Is Still Consulting Allies, Official Says
Wall Street Journal11/27/18
The U.S. remains on a path to withdraw from a landmark nuclear-arms-control agreement with Russia, citing alleged violations by Moscow, but continues to consult with its allies on the decision, the Trump administration’s top intelligence official said.

Opinion and Analysis

Revisiting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
LawfareShanelle Van
11/27/18
Whether or not the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has the normative and legal effect its supporters intend, it will be the elephant in the room for nuclear policy discussions to come.

The Beginning of the End of the Korean War
The Atlantic Uri Friedman
11/28/18
Reconciliation is happening faster than denuclearization. The United States might not be willing to accept that.

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