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Politics : America Under Siege: The End of Innocence -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: calgal who wrote (21386)	2/10/2003 4:34:09 AM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27756

Powell Wants China to Counsel N. Korea Mon Feb 10,12:11 AM ET URL:http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=516&ncid=716&e=4&u=/ap/20030210/ap_on_re_as/koreas_nuclear By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press Writer SEOUL, South Korea - China should take a more active role in urging North Korea (news - web sites) to abandon its nuclear activities, Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) said Sunday. AP Photo Reuters Slideshow: North Korea Nuclear Tensions Powell said in U.S. television appearances that he believed there eventually would be talks between Washington and Pyongyang. But he said they should occur in a multilateral setting because the situation involved China, Russia, Japan, South Korea (news - web sites) and other countries. "We should not let North Korea dictate the terms under which these conversations take place. I think there will ultimately be conversations, but I think other nations have a role to play," Powell said on Fox Sunday News. Powell cited China, which has called for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and is a traditional ally of North Korea. "They have considerable influence with North Korea," Powell said. "Half their foreign aid goes to North Korea. Eighty percent of North Korea's wherewithal, with respect to energy and economic activity, comes from China. China has a role to play, and I hope China will play that role." However, China's ties with North Korea have waned over the years. Also, China likely is mindful that economic pressure on North Korea could send more destitute North Koreans across the border, leading to a humanitarian crisis on Chinese soil. The crisis over North Korea's nuclear programs began in October when U.S. officials said North Korean officials admitted they had a clandestine nuclear weapons program. Washington and its allies then suspended oil shipments, and North Korea responded by taking steps to reactivate nuclear facilities frozen under a 1994 energy deal with the United States. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld said in Munich, Germany, that most intelligence services know the North Koreans have "one or two nuclear weapons" and "they may have enough nuclear material to make an additional six to eight nuclear weapons" by May or June. On ABC's "This Week," Powell said it was important to involve other countries in any negotiated solution because North Korea had violated the 1994 deal with Washington. "And so we have to make sure we just don't go down that path again, because we are worried about what they are doing," he said. "We're working with our friends and allies. And we are using the channels we have with North Korea." South Korea wants Washington to open direct talks with North Korea as soon as possible. The board of the Vienna, Austria-based U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, will meet Wednesday to review the standoff with North Korea, raising the likelihood it will refer the dispute to the Security Council. The council could consider economic and political sanctions. On Monday, a South Korean official said the agency was "almost certain" to refer the North Korean nuclear dispute to the Security Council this week. "It is almost certain that it will refer it to the U.N. Security Council," Chun Young-woo, director general for international organizations at the Foreign Ministry, told The Associated Press by telephone. If the matter goes to the Security Council, it would constitute a diplomatic victory for the United States. While President Bush (news - web sites) believes the standoff can be resolved peacefully, he said Friday that "all options are on the table," suggesting that Washington would consider military action. North Korea accuses the United States of inciting the current nuclear tension as a pretext to invade the communist county, and has warned of a "total war" that could devastate both Koreas.

To: calgal who wrote (21386)	2/11/2003 7:18:30 AM
From: lorne	Respond to of 27756

US bombs country with leaflets 10feb03 COALITION aircraft dropped leaflets over southern Iraq yesterday as the United States stepped up its psychological offensive against the country, according to the US Central Command. Soldiers of the Iraqi armed forces took to the streets in a coordinated rally to support President Saddam Hussein as nearly half a million leaflets giving radio frequencies for coalition broadcasts were raining on the country. The radio broadcasts cover "information about United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441, United Nations weapons inspectors in Iraq, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's reign and other topics", the statement said. Resolution 1441 mandated the current UN arms inspections in Iraq. "Another type of leaflet stated that Coalition forces do not wish to harm the noble Iraqi people or destroy their landmarks, and for the civilian populace to avoid military occupied areas," US Central Command said. Aircraft from a US-British coalition patrolling the skies over southern Iraq also bombed an Iraqi command and control centre after it was moved into a no-fly zone. "The facility's presence in the no-fly zone was a threat to coalition aircraft," the Central Command said in a statement. The centre was located near the city of Al Kut. Damage assessment was under way and it was not immediately clear whether precision-guided bombs destroyed the target. It was the first coalition strike on an Iraqi ground target since January 26, when allied aircraft hit unmanned cable repeater sites between Al Kut and An Nasiriyah. dailytelegraph.news.com.au