Posted on 04/23/2008 1:14:32 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
The Bush administration said Wednesday it will not accept a North Korean nuclear declaration that does not fulfill Pyongyang's obligations under the six-party disarmament accord. U.S. intelligence officials are preparing to brief congressional leaders on North Korean proliferation activity. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
Officials here are underscoring the administration's firm line on the declaration in advance of a briefing on Pyongyang's proliferation activity that could harden congressional opposition to the six-party accord.
Pyongyang is more than three months overdue in making a full declaration of its nuclear program, including any proliferation activity, under the Chinese-sponsored six-party accord, in which it is to scrap its program in exchange for aid and diplomatic benefits.
News accounts say U.S. intelligence officials will brief key members of Congress Thursday on what the United States knows about North Korean proliferation, including a nuclear site Pyongyang was building for Syria that was reportedly bombed by Israel last September.
Senior U.S. and North Korean diplomats were said to have reached an understanding in Singapore earlier this month under which Pyongyang would declare its physical nuclear assets, including 30 kilograms of bomb-grade plutonium, but only tacitly admit involvement in proliferation.
But in a talk with reporters Wednesday, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said nothing was finalized in Singapore, as evidenced by the administration's dispatch of senior State Department Korea expert Sung Kim to Pyongyang this week for more talks on the declaration.
McCormack said ending the North Korean nuclear program, which included a weapons test in 2006, is a "compelling" U.S. national security interest. But he said the Bush administration won't accept a North Korean declaration that is inconsistent with the six-party accord:
Sung Kim talks to reporters upon arrival at the Incheon International Airport, South Korea, 21 Apr 2008 Sung Kim talks to reporters upon arrival at Incheon International Airport, S. Korea, 21 Apr 2008 "Our view was that there was more work to do, as evidenced by Sung Kim's travel to Pyongyang, and we'll see what the North Koreans come up with," he said. "The onus is on them to come up with a declaration that satisfies the other members of the six-party talks. If it doesn't, we're not going to accept some declaration that we don't feel is consistent with their obligations."
McCormack said Sung Kim, a Korean-American who heads the State Department's office of Korean affairs, is expected to leave Pyongyang Thursday after two days of meetings on the declaration.
Conservative critics of the administration's approach to North Korea have pointed to alleged North Korean nuclear help for Syria as grounds for opposing the six-party deal.
Spokesman McCormack said the pending intelligence briefing is unlikely to change the opinion of the six party accord's most ardent critics.
Among them is former Bush administration U.N. ambassador John Bolton, who wrote last week that the administration's handling of the declaration amounts to "surrender" to Pyongyang.
“Among them is former Bush administration U.N. ambassador John Bolton, who wrote last week that the administration’s handling of the declaration amounts to “surrender” to Pyongyang.”
and
Pyongyang is more than three months overdue in making a full declaration of its nuclear program...
Doesn't the second sentence mean that the first sentence applies?
Hey, this is just one more stop on the Last Train to Legacyville, one day North Korea is a member of the ‘Axis of Evil’, tomorrow they’ll be our (choke-gag-spew) ‘Partner for Peace in the Far East’.
You just watch.
North Korea demonstrates why the “legacy” of a president can not be judged for many years. This is yet another pimple, no - a “boil”, on the face of the earth which is due to Clinton’s complete mishandling of foreign affairs. In addition, it is yet another failure of Carter, that “brilliant”(/sarc) shining light of foreign policy, good will, and “peace on earth” who, unwanted by the ‘toon, went to NK and initiated the ‘93 negotiations. Now he’s going to do for us in the MidEast what he did for us in NK... NO THANKS, CARTER! GO BUILD A HOUSE!
What say you?
I don’t trust a WORD Pyongyang says, and not much more for that matter out of the dwindling, lame-duck Bush Legadministration, and certainly not from any old remants of the also-appeasing Clinton Administration (DPRK “specialists” and other assorted naive saps.)
It seems to be that the current activities about NK nuke are made up of fits and starts, trial balloons and retractions? First, there are news coming out from media which tends to point toward cutting NK a large slack, which is usually followed by denying any such plan.
To me, it looks like they send up trial balloon from time to time and gauge reactions to see if how much appeasement can be tolerated. If they face vocal opposition, they back down and bid their time, but not abandoning their plan altogether.
This is an on-going stalemate and unending skirmish. Those in Foggy Bottom and White House may want that they get lucky and push this deal before Bush Admin' time is up. I am sure they are also hoping that NK backs down due to some abrupt political bombshell of sorts.
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