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Politics : The Donkey's Inn -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mephisto who wrote (6648)	4/6/2003 8:22:15 PM
From: Mephisto	Respond to of 15516

North Korea and the US 'on a slide towards conflict' Tracy McVeigh Sunday April 6, 2003 The Observer observer.co.uk War in North Korea is now almost inevitable because of the country's diplomatic stalemate with America, a senior UN official claims. Ahead of this week's crucial talks between members of the UN Security Council, Maurice Strong, special adviser to the Secretary General Kofi Annan, was gloomy on the chances of a peaceful settlement. 'I think war is unnecessary, it's unthinkable and unfortunately it's entirely possible,' he said. Strong, who has just returned from a private mission for Annan in North Korea and is due to report to UN officials in New York tomorrow, said he felt both North Korea and America seemed to think they had time on their side but were both on a slide towards war. On Wednesday the UN security council will hear America's demand for sanctions against North Korea, which it accuses of planning to develop nuclear weapons. The Communist state has already said it would regard any such move as an 'act of war' and yesterday further warned that it would ignore any UN resolutions on the issue. It believes its dispute is solely with the US and wants direct talks with Washington - something the American government has refused to even consider. 'The nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula is not something that should be discussed at the United Nations,' said the state KCNA news agency in Pyongyang. North Korea fervently believes it is next on America's list for pre-emptive strikes, says Strong. It takes George Bush's rhetoric in his 'axis of evil' speech as a very real threat to its national security. Washington says it seeks a diplomatic end, but has not ruled out a military solution. 'There is such a complete breakdown of trust and confidence between these two countries that they are now unable to read the intentions of the other so there is real potential now for this to escalate into conflict,' Strong said. He said the North Koreans were prepared for war but 'anxious for peace'. The stand-off between the two nations first flared in October when US officials said North Korea had admitted having a secret nuclear programme in violation of a 1994 agreement. As punishment, Washington and its allies suspended promised oil shipments. North Korea retaliated by taking steps to reactivate mothballed facilities capable of making nuclear bombs and withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It also deported UN monitors. It claims it pulled out of the treaty because non-nuclear countries were supposed to be protected by nuclear powers like the US, not threatened. Meanwhile, North Korea accused Japan yesterday of plotting a pre-emptive strike following recent calls from Tokyo to beef up the country's defence capabilities against the Communist nation. Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Friday that Japan had a right to launch a strike on foreign soil if an attack is deemed imminent. In the last two months Pyongyang has tested at least two short-range missiles. In 1998 it launched a ballistic missile over Japan's main island into the Pacific Ocean, showing that any target in Japan was within its range.

To: Mephisto who wrote (6648)	4/7/2003 6:05:39 PM
From: Mephisto	Respond to of 15516

North Korea to put faith in deterrence Jonathan Watts in Tokyo Monday April 7, 2003 The Guardian North Korea appeared to abandon diplomatic negotiation as a means of settling its nuclear dispute with the US yesterday, with a warning that only "tremendous military deterrence" could prevent Pyongyang suffering the same fate as Baghdad. Backtracking from its central negotiating demand - a non-aggression treaty - the foreign ministry said yesterday that the Iraq war had proved that peace deals were all but worthless if they required disarmament. "The Iraqi war shows that to allow disarming through inspection does not help avert a war but rather sparks it," its statement said "This suggests that even the signing of a non- aggression treaty with the US would not help avert a war." The hardening of North Korea's stance comes before the UN security council's first meeting on the issue, which could lead to the imposition of sanctions and a further escalation of the conflict. In typically bellicose style, North Korea said the security council talks on Wednesday would be a "prelude to war". "Only 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. This is a lesson drawn from the Iraqi war," it said. South Korea also cast doubt on the merits of the security council being involved. Yoon Young-kwan, its foreign minister, said it would not be necessary if diplomacy could achieve results through other channels. guardian.co.uk

To: Mephisto who wrote (6648)	4/15/2003 4:15:16 PM
From: Mephisto	Respond to of 15516

North Korea Shifts Stance on U.S. Talks Sat Apr 12, 3:48 PM ET story.news.yahoo.com By DANIEL COONEY, Associated Press Writer SEOUL, South Korea - After months of insisting on direct talks with Washington, North Korea (news - web sites) signaled on Saturday that it would be willing to accept U.S. demands for multilateral discussions over the communist country's alleged nuclear weapons program. The shift is likely to ease tension on the Korean Peninsula, where recent South Korea (news - web sites)-U.S. war-games and Washington's decision to send additional long-range bombers to the region has stoked fears in the North of an imminent U.S. invasion. "If the U.S. is ready to make a bold switchover in its Korea policy for a settlement of the nuclear issue, the DPRK will not stick to any particular dialogue format," the North's KCNA news agency quoted a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying. He did not say what was meant by a "bold switchover." DPRK stands for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name. The United States expressed interest in the comment from North Korea, which could become a first step toward talks on ending the nuclear standoff. "We have noted that statement with interest and we expect to follow up through the appropriate diplomatic channels," State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said Saturday. A senior South Korean Foreign Ministry official described the North's statement as a "step forward." The softer tone came as the war winds down in Iraq (news - web sites) and the United States is expected to turn its attention to North Korea. President Bush (news - web sites) has dubbed North Korea as part of an "axis of evil" with Iraq and Iran. He has said he seeks to deal with North Korea diplomatically but has not ruled out military action. The crisis erupted in October when U.S. officials said North Korea admitted it had a clandestine nuclear program in violation of a 1994 agreement with the United States. The United States and its allies stopped oil shipments to the North, which retaliated by moving to restart a nuclear plant and withdrawing from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. U.S. officials say North Korea poses a global danger and that the standoff should be solved with the participation of Russia, China, Japan and South Korea. But until now, Pyongyang has rejected multilateral talks, insisting on one-on-one meetings to negotiate a nonaggression treaty. "The solution to the issue depends on what is the real intention of the U.S.," said the North Korean spokesman, who was not identified by name. "It is possible to solve the issue if the U.S. sincerely approaches the dialogue," the spokesman added. "What matters is the U.S." However just a day before, North Korea said it would never give up its nuclear programs and compared U.N. inspections to "taking off our pants" and giving Washington an excuse to invade. On Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council said it was concerned about the nuclear dispute. The council could eventually impose sanctions against the North if a diplomatic solution is not found. The United States favors economic sanctions but Russia is opposed. However on Friday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov was quoted as saying that Moscow might reconsider if Pyongyang starts to consider producing or using nuclear weapons, Interfax reported. The Interfax news agency also quoted Losyukov as saying the government has ordered officials to work out "preventive measures" to defend national interests and the population in the country's Far East should the Korean crisis spin out of control. "We are disappointed and surprised by the position of some participants in the conflict, who do not seem to want to seriously address the problem through negotiations," Interfax quoted Losyukov as saying. Earlier Saturday, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun urged North Korea to hold talks. "When the North comes out as a responsible member of the international community, we and the international community will not hold back on all necessary assistance," Roh's office quoted the president as saying. South Korea, which is a close ally of the United States, hopes to persuade isolated North Korea to scrap its nuclear programs in return for aid and better ties with the outside world. Roh, who took office in February, said he would discuss the issue with Bush when he visits Washington next month for their first summit. He said he also plans to meet with the leaders of China, Russia and Japan soon. On Saturday, a North Korean youth group vowed loyalty to the regime ahead of the nation's biggest holiday, the April 15 birthday of late President Kim Il Sung. He died in 1994 and Kim Jong Il succeeded his father in communism's first hereditary succession. "Once Kim Jong Il gives us an order, we, 5 million young people will become human bombs and wipe out the U.S. imperialists on this land," North Korea's KCNA news agency quoted unidentified members of the Young Vanguard as saying.