North Korea Blinks?

NewsMax.com ^ | 4/12/03 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

In the wake of the U.S.'s stunning military victory in Iraq, North Korea has reportedly relaxed its demands that the Bush administration engage in one-on-one talks with Pyongyang to resolve the nuclear standoff between the two countries.

"If the U.S. is ready to make a bold switchover in its Korea policy for a settlement of the nuclear issue, the [Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea] will not stick to any particular dialogue format," a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said, according to the state-run KCNA news agency.

The statement was a "hint" that North Korea would accept U.S. demands for multilateral talks to end the nuclear dispute, the Associated Press said.

Since North Korea announced it had resumed its nuclear weapons program last October, Pyongyang has insisted on direct talks with Washington, D.C.

"The solution to the issue depends on what is the real intention of the U.S.," the North Korean spokesman, who was not identified in the KCNA report, explained. "It is possible to solve the issue if the U.S. sincerely approaches the dialogue," he added.

The comments were much softer in tone than other remarks from North Korea in recent weeks, the AP noted. Since the crisis heated up last fall, Pyongyang has repeatedly warned that the situation could lead to nuclear war.

The development is a boon to U.S. conservatives, who argued that victory in Iraq would send a clear signal to North Korea that the Bush administration had put an end to the weak foreign policy practiced by the Clinton administration.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

Bush Administration
North Korea

[Hugin]

The Bush strategery of doing nothing and letting NK's actions sink in on their neighbors seems to be paying off. They thought we would jump through hoops to get another phoney agreement ala Clinton. Now China is getting nervous. They may be putting presure on NK, and the example of what happened to Saddam can't be hurting either. See thread below...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/888221/posts

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[E. Pluribus Unum]

Kim Jong il = Saddam Hussein

[Orangedog]

Looks like China has decided to keep it's pet on a shorter leash. It's not a matter of China putting pressure on NK. Kim takes all of his marching orders from China...and China is not ready to engage us yet. They will tell Kim to shut up and sit down until they see how events in the Iraq unfold, and if we end up dealing with Seria and/or Iran this summer. The next 6 months are very important.

[Mr. Thorne]

I said this on another post:

Iraq, WMDs or no, is an object lesson to, among others, Kim Jong Il and Assad of Syria.

The lesson is this: We said we'd do this, you didn't believe us. Who was right?

So, Mr. Kim, still want that war?

[Hugin]

China definitely does not want to see Japan, SK, or Taiwan armed with nukes and ABMs. It may be occuring to them that a nuclear NK is a lose/lose situation for them long term.

[Orangedog]

No, they don't want to see that. Their intermediate goal will be Taiwan, using NK as a diversion. That is when all hell will break loose. We will be at war with China before the end of this decade.

[Maelstrom]

Consider:

"China blinks"

[Pearls Before Swine]

Their intermediate goal will be Taiwan, using NK as a diversion.

Regardless of whether we effectively respond in Taiwan, this would make a very nuclear Japan a foregone conclusion.