Sanctions Against North

WASHINGTON -- The United States moved yesterday to try to impose United Nations sanctions on North Korea for its defiance of international nuclear safeguards."

WASHINGTON -- North Korea announced yesterday its withdrawal from the international agency monitoring its nuclear development program, a move that the Clinton administration warned was "a very, very serious development."The reclusive Communist nation also said that inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) "will have nothing to do any further in our country." Two IAEA inspectors are being asked to leave the country, according to a statement Friday by Yun Ho Jin, North Korea's envoy to the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency.

PORTSMOUTH, England -- President Clinton, under fire from critics who have accused him of being too soft in opposing North Korea's purported nuclear ambitions, significantly stepped up his rhetoric yesterday, saying that the United States would consider imposing sanctions without the United Nations if the Security Council proves unable to make a decision.He also warned that the North would risk "certain, terrible defeat and destruction" if it retaliated.The remarks, made in nationally televised interviews as Mr. Clinton sailed toward France for the commemoration of the D-Day landing, came shortly after Defense Secreatry William J. Perry suggested publicly for the first time yesterday that Washington would be prepared to go outside the United Nations to rally Asian and European allies to isolate North Korea economically.

WASHINGTON -- President Clinton stepped up efforts yesterday to increase diplomatic pressure on North Korea by calling it "virtually imperative" that the world community impose economic sanctions on Asia's nuclear renegade.With British Prime Minister John Major by his side during a D-Day appearance in Portsmouth, England, Mr. Clinton sought to quell talk of armed conflict, saying sanctions were "clearly . . . not an act of war and should not be seen as such."But North Korea's ambassador in Beijing, Chu Chang Jun, repeated warnings yesterday that "any kind of economic sanctions" against North Korea would be regarded as "a declaration of war."

VIENNA, Austria -- North Korea sidestepped the threat of impending U.N. economic sanctions yesterday by agreeing, after months of delay, to allow international inspections of seven nuclear facilities.The International Atomic Energy Agency announced that the Pyongyang regime of President Kim Il-Sung had accepted the agency's plans and conditions for inspecting the facilities. The inspections are expected to take place within a few weeks.Though other issues remain unresolved, both the IAEA and the Clinton administration portrayed the new agreement as an important step forward.

WASHINGTON -- The United States is moving closer to seeking United Nations sanctions against North Korea over its refusal to allow nuclear inspections -- a confrontation that could pose a serious test of President Clinton's skill and determination in world affairs.A month after North Korea agreed to cooperate on nuclear inspections, the Communist regime is running out of time to live up to its commitments, U.S. officials said."I think we're getting very close to the end of the road on this one," a senior administration official said late last week.

WASHINGTON -- The United States and North Korea have reached broad agreement on international inspections of all officially disclosed North Korean nuclear sites, and could put the finishing touches on a deal by the end of the week, a senior State Department official says.If in fact the North Koreans have agreed to unrestricted access for the nuclear inspectors to all its official nuclear sites, President Clinton will be able to claim one of the most significant foreign policy victories of his presidency.

SEATTLE -- U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, in a conciliatory move keyed to the opening of foreign ministers' meetings at the Pacific Rim summit, said yesterday that the United States is committed to a "diplomatic solution" to the North Korean nuclear standoff and is not yet ready to seek international economic sanctions against North Korea.Mr. Christopher's statement means the administration is putting off for at least a few weeks carrying out its threats to seek tough U.N. Security Council action against North Korea if it fails to open its nuclear facilities to international inspection.