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A senior U.S. diplomat¹ visits Pyongyang later this week to try to advance the stalled accord under which North Korea is to end its nuclear program in exchange for energy aid and other benefits. North Korea was to have accounted for all its nuclear holdings by the end of last year, but has yet to make that declaration.

一位资深美国外交官这个星期晚些时候将访问平壤，试图为一项延宕的协议取得进展。北韩在协议底下应该结束其核项目，以换取国际能源援助与其他好处。北韩应该在去年年底之前明确说明其所有的核项目，不过平壤却至今尚未能做到这一点。

North Korea's failure to meet the December 31 deadline for disclosing its nuclear program has, among other things, triggered criticism by U.S. conservatives of the Bush administration's handling of the nuclear issue.

北韩未能在去年12月31号截止期限前交待其核项目，加上其他问题，引发美国保守派人士对布什总统处理核议题方式的批评。

However, officials here say Pyongyang is complying with key terms of the deal including the permanent disablement of its main nuclear reactor². And they are not characterizing this week's mission to the region by the director of the State Department's office of Korean Affairs as any kind of emergency.

在华盛顿的美国官员说，平壤遵守了该协议的主要规定，包括永久终止其主要核反应堆。这个星期国务院主管两韩事务主任将访问平壤，国务院并未把它看成是个紧急任务。

Officials say U.S. diplomat Sung Kim, a Korean-American, will visit Seoul, Beijing and Pyongyang this week for a round of consultations³ on the six-party process.

国务院官员说，美国外交官金成本周将访问首尔、北京以及平壤，就六方会谈的进程做出一轮协商。

North Korea agreed nearly a year ago to give up its nuclear program in return for fuel oil shipments and diplomatic benefits from the other participants in the talks - the United States, Japan, South Korea, Russia and host China.

将近一年之前北韩同意放弃其核项目，以换取从其他六方会谈与会国，也就是美国、日本、韩国、俄罗斯以及中国那里得到燃油运送以及外交好处。

It has shut down, and is well along in the process of permanently⁴ disabling, the reactor complex at Yongbyon from which it derived⁵ the plutonium for its small arsenal⁶ of nuclear weapons.

北韩已经关闭宁边核反应堆，并且正按照进程，达成这个核反应堆的永久终止运转。北韩拥有一个小型的核武军火库，平壤通过宁边核反应堆生产发展核武所需要的钸。

Its declaration of nuclear assets would open the way for the next phase of the agreement, providing for the dismantling⁷ of its nuclear program and the normalization⁸ of relations with Japan and the United States, which would remove North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

北韩清楚说明它拥有的核武资产将开启下阶段的协议，为拆除核设施、跟美日关系正常化做准备，并且把北韩从恐怖主义资助国的名单中拿掉。

At a joint⁹ news conference Monday with Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the disablement of Yongbyon has gone "relatively¹⁰ well" but that North Korea needs to make an accurate and complete declaration so that there can be confidence going into the next phase.

美国国务卿赖斯星期一和澳大利亚外交部长斯蒂芬.史密斯举行共同记者会。赖斯说，宁边核反应堆的拆除进展得相当好，不过北韩必须精确、完整地说明其核项目，其它国家才有信心迈向下阶段。

"I am hopeful that the North is now ready to have serious discussions about that, and we will see," she said. "But the completion of the declaration and the completion of the disablement phase, of course, is necessary in order for further progress to be made on all of the obligations. And the United States stands ready to fully¹¹ discharge its obligations in the second phase, should North Korea discharge its obligations."

赖斯说：“我希望北韩现在准备好认真讨论这个问题，这有待观察。不过，北韩完成现阶段的目标，清楚声明所拥有的核项目、全部拆除核设施，达成所有协议下的义务，对于获取更多进展是必要的。”

U.S. diplomat Kim, who has made several trips to the region in recent months, is due to arrive in Pyongyang Thursday and to return to Washington on Sunday.

美国外交官金成最近几个月已经多次访问过这个地区，他预计将在星期四抵达平壤，并且在星期天返回华盛顿。

In its declaration, North Korea is supposed to account for the uranium enrichment project U.S. officials believe it conducted in addition to its plutonium-based weapons program, and to disclose what nuclear help it may have gotten from abroad, or given to other countries.

美国官员相信北韩在发展以钸为主的武器项目之外也进行浓缩铀计划，对此北韩在声明中应该清楚说明。北韩的说明有助于了解其核武器是否从国外获得或者是否给了其他国家。

Administration officials have downplayed the delay in getting the declaration, noting that other parts of the complex deal have been completed behind schedule.

美国官员目前对北韩推迟做出说明采取低调态度，官员表示，尽管在时间上有所落后，但这项复杂协议的其他部分已经被完成。

However conservative critics of the accord say it raises basic questions about whether Pyongyang intends to live up to its obligations.

Last week, Rice took the unusual step of disavowing the critical comments of the administration's part-time envoy¹² for North Korean human rights, Jay Lefkowitz.

Lefkowitz said the delay suggests Pyonyang is not serious about disarming¹³ in a timely manner, and that it may maintain its current nuclear status for the rest of the President Bush's term.