The conservative Heritage Foundation on Wednesday urged U.S. president-elect Barack Obama to set tough parameters for dealing with North Korea. The think tank called on Obama to "define redlines and their consequences" and "establish deadlines with consequences for failure to meet them."

"If the North Koreans do not meet their obligations, we should move quickly to re-impose sanctions that have been waived, and consider new restrictions going forward,” it said in a policy paper.

The paper was written by two members, Walter Lohman and Bruce Klingner. "During the past two years, the Bush Administration has engaged in the direct bilateral diplomacy with Pyongyang, but North Korea's intransigence, noncompliance, and brinksmanship have continued,” they write.

They urge Obama to "insist that North Korea fulfill its existing requirements." "It has become evident that the verification protocol” of the nuclear programs and stockpiles the North has declared “has significant shortcomings and does not apply to Pyongyang's uranium-based weapons program or proliferation activities," they said. "Pyongyang should provide full disclosure of its plutonium-based and uranium-based nuclear weapons programs before receiving the entirety of (promised) benefits."

They urge Obama to "realize that talking is not progress. The U.S. should favor resolving issues rather than repeatedly lowering the bar simply to maintain the negotiating process." They insist North Korea “should not be treated differently from every other country in the world."

They also advised the new president to "use all of the instruments of national power (diplomatic, informational, military, and economic) in a coordinated, integrated strategy" to find a solution to the North Korean nuclear problem. "While it is important to continue negotiations to seek a diplomatic resolution to the North Korean nuclear problem, the U.S. and its allies should simultaneously use outside pressure to influence North Korea's negotiating behavior.”

(englishnews@chosun.com )