Bush offers North Korea a deal to end the world's oldest cold war

The Guardian ^ | September 8, 2007 | Jonathan Watts

[Schnucki]

George Bush offered North Korea a peace deal yesterday that would end the world's oldest and bloodiest cold war conflict on condition that Pyongyang gives up its nuclear weapons programme.

Prodded into the commitment during a testy exchange with South Korea's president, Roh Moo-hyun, on the eve of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Sydney, Mr Bush said he would reward North Korea with a security arrangement that would replace the armistice signed at the end of the Korean war in 1953, which had cost 4 million lives.

The offer represents another shift away from Washington's hardline stance towards the communist country, which Mr Bush once included in the "axis of evil". It came as Pyongyang invited the US, China and Russia to survey its nuclear facilities, work at which was halted earlier this year.

Mr Bush's move towards engagement rather than confrontation was the subject of an awkward dialogue with Mr Roh played out in front of the TV cameras.

Mr Roh leaned across and urged the president to be more explicit about the security arrangement.

"I might be wrong. I think I did not hear President Bush mention a declaration to end the Korean war just now," Mr Roh said through an interpreter. "Did you say that, President Bush?" Mr Bush replied it was "up to Kim Jong-il".

The South Korean leader remained unconvinced. "If you could be a little clearer," he said.

A clearly irritated Mr Bush said that he had in mind a formal peace treaty that would end hostilities in the war, which ended with the US still technically at war with the North.

[Badeye]

Waste of time. Watch as the ‘cult of personality’ that is North Korea demonstrates one more time an entire country can in fact be described as ‘insane’.

[expatguy]

Carter was a good man, but he was a horrible leader.

[Mmmike]

I’m on the young side. Was “legacy building” commonly touted as a significant concern of Presidents before cl*nton? I don’t remember it being bandied about until his second term.

[SoCal Pubbie]

Carter was, and is, a petty, smug, self righteous incompetent who doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. Nothing good about the man.

[GeronL]

if you failed to pay homage to the great leader not only would you be imprisoned and tortured/starved but your family and some extended family too. I’d be insane too.

[Southack]

You fell for a Guardian article!

Wow! Where have you been hiding all of these long years?

[Southack]

You have gone off of the deep end. What a nutcase post!

[MaxMax]

Certainly Mr. Bush, I will be your friend FOR A PRICE DAMMIT

[Badeye]

Whats really insane is we are ‘going there’ again.