The Clinton administration is not certain whether North Korea has a nuclear bomb, but it is convinced that Pyongyang has enough plutonium to make one, an official said Tuesday.
The official, who asked not to be identified, was responding to weekend reports of assessments from the intelligence community that indicate North Korea has one or two bombs.North Korea has resisted inspection of its nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency, and there has been an ongoing dialogue between U.S. and North Korean representatives at the United Nations concerning the barring of IAEA inspectors from North Korea.
There have been a number of meetings over the past several weeks between the two sides, and another meeting is expected to be held this week.
The United States is holding out a carrot of future diplomatic recognition of North Korea and possible assistance if the government acquiesces.