Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: longnshort who wrote (754520)	11/18/2006 8:59:33 AM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Respond to of 769667

Roh Refuses Invite To Join North Korea Ship Inspections playfuls.com South Korea will continue to resist joining a US-led inspection of North Korean ships to keep the country from acquiring more nuclear and missile materials after its nuclear weapons test last month, President Roh Moo-hyun said Saturday in Vietnam. The disagreement between allies over how much pressure to apply on North Korea ahead of planned six-party talks next month was a hot topic on the sidelines of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hanoi. Roh met with US President George W Bush on Saturday, but the personal touch did not change Seoul's position on the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) inspections aimed at enforcing UN sanctions on North Korea. Following his meeting with Bush, Roh said South Korea "is not taking part in the full scope of the PSI," though he added that he supports "the principles and goals" of the initiative. The PSI is an initiative started by Bush in 2003 and through which about 70 countries have agreed on strategies to prevent the transport of illegal weapons by land, sea and air through searches of vehicles, ships and planes and confiscations. The US and Japan have been trying to rally more countries to patrol their territory, stop suspicious ships and conduct inspects but both South Korea and China have balked. Bush on Saturday downplayed the rebuff by Roh on calls for South Korea to join the inspections. "I appreciate the cooperation we're receiving from South Korea on the Proliferation Security Initiative," Bush said. "Our desire is to solve the North Korean issue peacefully." Bush, Roh and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met later Friday for tri-party talks on North Korea. A spokesman for Abe also sought to downplay the disagreement between the allies and also China, characterizing them as "a difference of nuance, maybe." Since North Korea's nuclear test on October 9, South Korea has been under pressure from the US to sign on to the security initiative, after a UN resolution approved the ship inspections, as well as financial and travel sanctions on Pyongyang. South Korea has said it will not join the inspections because it does not want to provoke North Korea as its neighbour prepares to rejoin six-nation talks, expected next month in Beijing, on ending its nuclear programme. In Singapore before heading to Hanoi for the APEC meeting, Bush sought to rally support among allies to stand firm against North Korea. "The most imminent threat of nuclear proliferation comes from North Korea," Bush said Thursday. "The greatest danger is that terrorists can get their hands on weapons of mass destruction to blackmail free nations or end up killing on an unimaginable scale." © 2006 DPA