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Politics : Impeach George W. Bush -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mephisto who wrote (1952)	3/9/2001 6:15:35 PM
From: Mephisto	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 93284

Bush Calls North Korea a Threat to U.S. By Pauline Jelinek Associated Press Writer Wednesday, March 7, 2001; 12:59 PM President Bush told South Korean President Kim Dae-jung on Wednesday that the United States views North Korea as a threat and would not immediately resume negotiations with the communist regime. Bush said he remains skeptical of North Korea and its abilities to build and spread weapons of mass destruction, even as Kim is engaged in peace negotiations with the country. "I ... told the president that we're looking to ... at some point in the future having a dialogue with North Korea but any negotiations would require complete verification of the terms," Bush told reporters after the meeting. Under the Clinton administration, the United States came close to a deal to normalize relations with North Korea in exchange for ending North Korea's missile program . Up until the end of his term, President Clinton held out hope of visiting the communist nation. Secretary of State Colin Powell briefed reporters as the presidential meeting was still under way to make it clear that Bush did not intend to begin talks with North Korea anytime soon. "He understands the nature of that regime, and won't be fooled by the nature of that regime," Powell said of Bush. The president said he supports Kim's push for peace, though he expressed "skepticism about whether we can verify an agreement" with the secretive North Korean regime. Bush applauded Kim for his peace efforts and said they could eventually lead to a safer world . "Hopefully, the efforts of the president will convince the North Koreans that we are peaceful peoples," Bush said. "But we must be wise and strong and consistent about making sure that peace happens." In advance of their meeting, Kim had signaled his intention to sign a peace "declaration" with his North Korean counterparts. The Bush administration, meanwhile, is undertaking what Powell called a "thorough review" of U.S.-North Korean relations, and the secretary of state said any negotiations with North Korea will wait until the review is completed. Senior administration officials have said privately they are wary that Kim's peace efforts may be moving too quickly, with too few concessions from North Korea. They said Bush was making that point with Kim, though the president went out of his way to tell reporters that South Koreans are "realists." Powell told reporters that with North Korea's ability to build and spread weapons of mass destruction, "It is a threat. It's got a huge army poised on the border within artillery and rocket distance of South Korea . The president forcefully made this point to President Kim Dae-jung." Powell had taken a much more conciliatory approach Tuesday, when he said the Bush administration would examine "some promising elements" of Clinton's policies but was holding off on any policy decisions until after consulting Kim. "In due course, you'll hear about our plans" he said. Kim, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for his reconciliation efforts with the North, also was scheduled to meet Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and several members of Congress. Kim's government has been worried that the Bush administration could strike a new stance toward the communist North that might upset the work done under Kim's "sunshine" policy of reconciliation and engagement on the divided peninsula. And the North last weekend signaled impatience with the slow process of the U.S. administration's review of policy options. Government officials in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang reaffirmed a warning that they might scrap a moratorium on long-range missile tests and revive a nuclear program that Washington fears was being used to develop nuclear weapons. "We haven't begun that consultative process yet with the North Koreans because we thought it was important to first talk with our South Korean friends," Powell said. "And so we are not avoiding North Korea," he said. "Quite the contrary, we think we have a lot to offer that regime if they will act in ways that we think are constructive, ways that reduce the threat of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missiles and ways that help open their society and give transparency into their society." Analysts have noted the difference between Bush's approach and that of former President Clinton, who was rushing to finish an agreement with North Korea, but ran out of time. "The Bush administration seems to be in no particular hurry to come out with a new policy or to embrace the old policy," said Nick Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute, which will host Kim for lunch on Thursday. "It seems to feel comfortable with weighing and waiting and evaluating. And my guess is President Bush will have his ears open and will listen to President Kim, who is very persuasive." Democrats in Congress think there is some urgency to adopt a policy. "We believe ... the stakes are high and the issues involved demand urgent attention, and it is evident to us that the continued engagement of the U.S. government on this matter could serve to reduce a serious potential threat to our national security," Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., said in a letter to Bush on Tuesday. The United States is concerned about North Korean medium- and long-range missiles that are capable of reaching Japan and U.S. territory as well. Another concern are North Korean sales of missiles and missile technology to Iran and other countries. U.S. goals would be reducing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missiles and helping North Koreans open their society. In return, the United States would take steps to assist the North Korean economy, which has declined sharply over the past decade. © 2001 The Associated Press washingtonpost.com

To: Mephisto who wrote (1952)	3/9/2001 6:46:01 PM
From: Mephisto	Respond to of 93284

Bush, South Korea At Odds Over North Steven Mufson, Washington Post Thursday, March 8, 2001 Washington -- President Bush cast doubt yesterday on the future of talks to end North Korea's missile program, saying he was concerned about how to verify such an agreement and putting himself somewhat at odds with visiting South Korean President Kim Dae Jung. Bush said he supported Kim's effort to ease tensions with North Korea, but said any deal to restrict its missiles must come with some means of verifying the terms of such a pact. "Part of the problem in dealing with North Korea, there's not very much transparency," Bush said in a joint press conference with Kim. He added that "we're not certain as to whether or not they're keeping all terms of all agreements." The Bush-Kim meeting was an awkward start to a relationship the Bush administration has described as important to U.S. interests and regional security in northeast Asia. It also underscored the administration's leery view of North Korea, which Bush often calls a rogue state and whose long-range missile program has been one rationale for a national missile defense system. Kim, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who came seeking support for his increasingly unpopular "sunshine policy" of engaging communist North Korea, described his talks with Bush as "a frank and honest exchange of views" that had "increased the mutual understanding," phrases often used to describe meetings where the two sides disagree. Kim had encouraged the Clinton administration in its pursuit of an agreement that would have sent U.S. economic aid to isolated, famine-stricken North Korea in exchange for a North Korean commitment to stop development of long-range missiles and halt exports of missiles to other nations, such as Iran and Pakistan. Kim saw the negotiations as contributing to an easing of tensions on the heavily armed and divided Korean peninsula. Bush's comments about North Korea struck a markedly more cautious tone than ones made Tuesday by Secretary of State Colin Powell, who said the administration intended "to pick up where President Clinton and his administration left off," and examine "some promising elements (that) were left on the table." Yesterday, Powell seemed to change emphasis, saying, "There was some suggestion that imminent negotiations are about to begin -- that is not the case." He added, "in due course, when our review is finished, we'll determine at what pace and when we will engage with the North Koreans." ©2001 San Francisco Chronicle sfgate.com

To: Mephisto who wrote (1952)	3/9/2001 6:58:34 PM
From: Mephisto	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 93284

Losing Momentum on Korea "If a verifiable agreement along those lines could be completed, it would eliminate the threat of North Korea's building missiles that can reach the United States. That in turn would reduce the pressure on Washington to rush ahead with development of a missile defense system, one of the Bush's administration's core defense goals. It would also end the North's current missile exports to danger zones like Iran and Pakistan". March 9, 2001 An Editorial from The New York Times Regrettably, President Bush has decided for the time being not to renew discussions with North Korea aimed at shutting down Pyongyang's development and sales of long-range missiles. Reaching acceptable agreements with the North is never easy, and the new administration is entitled to take some time to develop its own strategy and goals. But by suspending the constructive talks that were begun by the Clinton administration, Washington has forfeited an opportunity to explore North Korea's true intentions. It has also complicated the challenges facing South Korea, whose president, Kim Dae Jung, has been trying to coax the North from confrontation to diplomacy. North Korea had offered the Clinton administration some of the essential elements of a missile deal. But there was still a considerable way to go. Late last year the North proposed to halt further development and exports of its long-range missiles in exchange for food and fuel aid and a commitment by other countries to launch North Korean space satellites. If a verifiable agreement along those lines could be completed, it would eliminate the threat of North Korea's building missiles that can reach the United States. That in turn would reduce the pressure on Washington to rush ahead with development of a missile defense system, one of the Bush's administration's core defense goals. It would also end the North's current missile exports to danger zones like Iran and Pakistan. But acutely difficult issues remained unresolved as the Clinton presidency ended. North Korea has not yet agreed to permit the international on-site inspections needed to verify its compliance. Nor has it agreed to destroy the long-range missiles it already has or even to provide a detailed inventory of its current missile arsenal. Washington would need such an inventory to determine whether new missiles are being added. Most of the arms control agreements Washington negotiated with Moscow during the cold war were based on a long period of familiarity and mutual observation. There is no comparable history yet between the United States and North Korea. There are also suspicions by some analysts that North Korea seeks only to buy time and extort Western compensation without really committing itself to a peaceful course. Yet there have been encouraging signs, particularly in the past year, that North Korea is serious about improving relations with South Korea and the West. The Bush administration appears still to be debating its next moves on North Korea. It should carefully review the unresolved missile issues, then resume discussions with the North later this year in an effort to complete a sound agreement. nytimes.com