N Korea sticks to 'military deterrent'
April 8 2003
By Shane Green Tokyo
North Korea has suddenly toughened its public position in the nuclear arms debate, abandoning talks with South Korea and warning that it will arm itself with a "tremendous military deterrent"."Only the physical deterrent force, tremendous military deterrent force powerful enough to decisively beat back an attack supported by any ultra-modern weapons, can avert a war and protect the security of the country and the nation," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency."This is a lesson drawn from the Iraqi war," it said. After signs that it was softening its stance and news of progress on a diplomatic solution, to the crisis, Pyongyang has made its most aggressive moves in weeks. The most optimistic interpretation is that diplomatic moves continue behind the scenes.The tougher North Korean line also comes in the lead up to this week's discussion of the crisis by the United Nations Security Council.
Pyongyang has said it will not be affected by any UN decision on its arms program. In a pointed display of anger towards its southern neighbour, North Korea yesterday pulled out of talks with South Korea, severing the lines of official North-South contact.The ministerial talks in the North Korean capital would have been the first chance for the two Koreas to discuss the nuclear crisis since South Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun took office in February.The two Koreas had maintained an important line of communication throughout the crisis, which began last October when the North admitted to a clandestine nuclear arms program.But last month the North withdrew from economic talks with the South. Yesterday's snub means that North-South contacts are now effectively frozen.North Korea's attitude reflects its anger at Seoul's support for the US in Iraq, and recent joint South Korean-US war games, which it saw as a prelude to US action against it.South Korea's ruling Millennium Democratic Party yesterday rounded on North Korea for cancelling the talks. Describing the move as extremely regrettable, a party spokesman said North Korea's "persistent refusal to enter dialogue" was dampening efforts to resolve the nuclear crisis. The move to abandon the talks follows a particularly threatening statement from North Korea, which maintains it will be the next target for the US after Iraq.Responding to the invasion of Iraq, Pyongyang suggested that it no longer supported a non-aggression pact with Washington, one of its key demands if it was to end its nuclear arms program."The Iraqi war shows that to allow disarming through inspections does not help avert war, but rather sparks it," a Foreign Ministry statement said. "This suggests that even the signing of a non-aggression treaty with the US would not help avert a war."
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