The Washington Post reports today that under a six-nation agreement reached this week, North Korea is set to begin disabling nuclear facilities and releasing details of its nuclear programs. So does this mean they're off the Axis o' Evil list?
Removing North Korea from the terrorism list would be a largely symbolic move, but it is highly prized by the North Korean government. It is problematic for Japan, which wants North Korea to first settle questions concerning the abductions of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents. North Korea has pressed for an exact date, but diplomats said no date appears in the final text.
Pyongyang also wants to be free of financial sanctions imposed by the U.S. Trading With the Enemy Act, a 1917 law that allows for a near-total economic boycott of countries at war with the United States.
Hill said that the terrorism list is a "delicate issue" and that being "too explicit about when it might happen is not helpful in terms of Japanese-North Korean relations. We are trying to handle it with sensitivity."
If/when they are off the list, can it still be considered an axis? Wait, does Iraq even still make the list at this point? If they're both off, I guess that makes Iran the Point of Evil.
--Kate Sheppard
