Brussels, 17/10/2002 (Agence Europe) - Wiegand Gunnar, spokesperson for the European Commission, said on Thursday that the Commission was taking very seriously reports alleging that North Korea is developing secret programmes to avail itself of the atomic bomb. "We have called on officials in North Korea to provide explanations rapidly and to comply with their commitments regarding nuclear non-proliferation", he said, specifying that Chris Patten had spoken of the problem with his officials. "If this news is confirmed, there could be serious implications", he added, referring to the EU's financial contribution to the Kedo programme (in which the United States, Japan and North Korea take part to combat nuclear proliferation in Korea and to which the EU contributed EUR 75 million between 1997 and 2001, undertaking to provide an additional EUR 20 million each year until 2005). While affirming that the European funds were not able to be used for these programmes, Gunnar Wiegand concluded that this information was the proof that "it is necessary for inspections to be carried out".