US law would tighten NKorean terror listing

WASHINGTON - A House committee approved legislation Wednesday that would require the Bush administration to certify that North Korea had dismantled its nuclear weapons program before it could be removed from the State Department's list of terror-exporting countries.

The certification provision was an amendment to a bill to overhauling U.S. military aid programs and essentially puts existing U.S. policy into law. Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the measure "reinforces U.S. policy regarding removing North Korea" from the terror list.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., offered the amendment to counter a Democratic move to waive a provision of military aid law that would bar the Energy Department from spending money to help North Korea dismantle its nuclear facilities or to monitor the results.

The Democrats got the waiver in exchange for the verification requirements.

"It basically says, `You can do what you've been doing, but the president has to certify it,'" said Lynne Weil, the committee's spokeswoman.

Berman said in a statement that the purpose of the waiver and certification was "to allow the United States to eliminate North Korea's nuclear program."

"The conditions laid out in that provision include a presidential certification that North Korea no longer is engaged in transferring to other countries any technology that enables the development or acquisition of nuclear weapons," Berman said.

Committee acceptance sends the bill to the full House for passage. It also must pass the Senate before going to the president for his signature.

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