31.   NCI president Paul Leventhal said there was no proof that Japan was diverting plutonium for a weapons program.

32.   Murkowski has raised a series of questions about the agreement aimed at settling a US-North Korea dispute over whether Pyongyang has diverted plutonium to build nuclear weapons.

33.   Shalikashvili said the United States suspects plutonium had been diverted in the past.

34.   The agency added, however, that it was still possible to take samples from the spent fuel rods to determine whether plutonium was diverted for military purposes.

35.   The IAEA suspects Pyongyang of having diverted plutonium from its nuclear power programme to a military programme.

36.   The IAEA was unable to be present at the operation and determine whether any plutonium had been diverted to weapons development.

37.   The International Atomic Energy Agency said that, given the pace of refuelling, chances to determine whether Pyongyang has diverted plutonium for weapons will be destroyed within days.

38.   The inspectors found no evidence that North Korea has been diverting plutonium from its nuclear power plants to make atomic weapons.

39.   The latest crisis flared up when North Korean began refuelling an experimental nuclear reactor without IAEA specialists checking whether plutonium had been diverted to a suspected weapons programme.

40.   The IAEA also accused Pyongyang of accelerating the discharge of fuel rods to make it impossible for inspectors to verify whether plutonium had been diverted for military use.