Nuke test was to avert war, says N Korea

[M4ko]

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Rest+of+the+World&month=January2007&file=World_News20070118113740.xml



Web posted at: 1/18/2007 11:37:40


SEOUL • North Korea defended its shock nuclear weapons test yesterday as the only way to avert a war as its chief negotiator met with his US counterpart to discuss resuming multi-party disarmament talks.

US envoy Christopher Hill held a rare meeting yesterday with the North's Kim Kye-gwan at the US embassy in Berlin and, although there was no breakthrough, officials said it set the pace for a resumption of full six-party talks.

"The Berlin meeting should lay a good groundwork for an agreement on what initial steps to take to implement the September 19 statement," South Korea's foreign minister Song Min-Soon said, referring to a 2005 accord offering the North security and economic aid guarantees in return for disarmament.

Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's ruling party paper, said the October 9 test, the regime's first atomic weapons detonation ever, was in self-defence. "There is no doubt that a war would have broken out... if (North Korea) had failed last year to shatter the moves of the US imperialists to provoke a war against it with its strong self-defensive deterrent," it said.

It accused the United States of "still whetting the sword of aggression" against North Korea under the disguise of seeking peaceful dialogue.

The test triggered global outrage and UN sanctions, and in December senior negotiators from the six nations in the talks-the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States-met for five days in Beijing.

No progress was reported as North Korea refused substantiative discussions about nuclear disarmament in protest at separate US financial sanctions. Bilateral US-North Korean talks on the financial sanctions, notably on a Macau bank accused of illicit dealings on behalf of Pyongyang, are to resume next week.

No date has been fixed for the next round of full six-party negotiations, however.

Song urged Pyongyang to "initiate the process of dismantling its nuclear programmes" to enable others to "take corresponding steps" in return.

In December's talks in Beijing, the United States reportedly demanded that North Korea report all of its nuclear facilities and programme and accept UN atomic agency inspectors.

The United States was also said to have demanded the closure of the North's plutonium-producing reactor in Yongbyon and its nuclear test site.

Meanwhile, former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton said yestertday that six-way talks on North Korea's nuclear arms had failed and a breakthrough would only come after the collapse of Kim Jong-Il's regime. "Six-party talks have not worked. They are not likely to work," said the blunt-talking former diplomat, who relinquished his UN post in December in the face of strong opposition to his nomination by opposition Democrats.

In a speech to reporters in Tokyo, he said North Korea was unlikely to voluntarily give up nuclear arms. World powers "need to do something different in order to prevent North Korea from becoming an even greater threat to the region and around the world than it already is," said Bolton, now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.

[M4ko]

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2007/01/18/us_north_korea_talks_continue_in_berlin/


BERLIN (*******) - U.S. and North Korean officials ended three days of discussions in Berlin on Thursday with no word on chances of a breakthrough at six-party talks on the communist state's nuclear weapons program.

In Washington, the White House denied the sessions in Berlin were bilateral discussions as Pyongyang has long demanded.

"We have not had bilateral talks. What you had ... this week in Berlin were talks with Chris Hill and a North Korean representative as preparations for the six-party talks," White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters. "This is not an instance of bilateral negotiations on the side."

Snow said Hill was going to Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo and would likely talk to Russian officials at another venue.

Earlier this week, Hill called his Berlin discussions "useful" but played down suggestions they might lead to a breakthrough in the standoff with Pyongyang, which detonated its first nuclear device last October.

State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Hill and Kim exchanged views on a number of proposals made at the last six-way meeting in December. "We want to make sure that the (next) round is well prepared when it happens," he added.

North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States participate in the talks, which are aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear arms ambitions.

North Korean negotiators did not speak to reporters in Berlin, but the country's official KCNA news agency issued on Thursday a joint statement by Pyongyang's government, political parties and organizations, demanding concessions by Washington.

"The U.S. should drop its anachronistic hostile policy toward the DPRK (North Korea), halt its reckless nuclear row against the DPRK, give up its plot to stifle the latter through sanctions and stop unreasonably interfering in the issues of the Korean nation," it said.

Washington accuses Pyongyang of using the international financial system for illicit activities, including drug trafficking. It has designated a bank in Macau as a money-laundering concern, effectively cutting off North Korea's main banking conduit to the outside world.

DIRECT COMMUNICATION

Mark Fitzpatrick, a nonproliferation expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London and a former State Department official, said it was a good sign Washington and Pyongyang had revived direct talks.

"The lack of a communication channel had been one of the detrimental factors contributing to their (North Korea's) decision that only provocative steps would work," Fitzpatrick said. "It's late, but it's good that it's taking place."

Casey said he did not expect Hill to meet the North Koreans again in Seoul, Beijing or Tokyo.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman welcomed the U.S.-North Korea meetings, the first outside Beijing since the six-party talks began in 2003, the year Pyongyang expelled U.N. inspectors and withdrew from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

"We hope the conversations create conditions for the early resumption and real progress of the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue," spokesman Liu Jianchao was quoted as saying by the Xinhua news agency.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in Berlin after a five-day trip to the Middle East, expressed hope late on Wednesday the six-party talks could resume soon. Hill said he hoped they would start again as early as this month.

(Additional reporting by Noah Barkin in Berlin and Sue Pleming in Washington)

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[Redguy]

I just don't under stand the logic behind that. Seems like you avert war by not launching missles.

[Techmarine1228]

maybe they are reading to much into the cold wars mutually assured destruction or M.A.D. ??

[vryhpyammoadded]

NK wants the bomb, therefore they will get it and in the mean time they will enjoy using whatever language to legitimize the act.
NK sort of reminds me of this six year old kid I know who will stop at nothing to get what he wants and enter into vicious denial, even as far as believing his own unreal excuses, when an adult stops him.

[Doublethinker]

Well, seeing what happened to Iraq its only logical that they want an a-bomb.

[vryhpyammoadded]

Well, seeing what happened to Iraq its only logical that they want an a-bomb.

Humm, making the bomb to prevent the US from invading to prevent you from making the bomb. Thats almost as funny as trying to look like you're making the bomb to prevent the US from invading to prevent you from building the bomb which never really existed. Funny

NK knows the US would never invade unless they crossed various lines of civility. Sure they flirt with them now and then and this NK bomb is nothing but leverage to allow passage over a few lines in the ongoing NK protection racket. Besides, I don't think NK has any oil.p-)

I don't really care either side and find all the propaganda muck slinging great fun to observe. Lets hope no one slips up though.

[evanfitz]

Well, seeing what happened to Iraq its only logical that they want an a-bomb.

we invaded iraq under the belief of making WMD's, they create one in order to prevent an invasion?
seems like a contradiction

[BadKarma26]

makes sense to me

[GreySpawn]

north korea in case of invasion could inflict grave losses to invading troops or simply attack japan as a hostage. in case of an invasion they really have nothing to loose.

[Mastermind]

NK is an anachronisim...Like Spartans in the time Rome was big...Funny to look at, strange to contemplate, and dangerous only in their own minds.

Their "nuke" was hardly a quality item and took just about every resource they had to devlope. Now, they have an entirely different problem...how do they stay in the nuke club...and how do they defend themselves now that nukes are aimed at them. Helluva problem for a nation that can only feed 40% of it's people. MM

[Doublethinker]

Humm, making the bomb to prevent the US from invading to prevent you from making the bomb.

Well, Saddam wasn't REALLY making the bomb. Some folks in DPRK might think that if he REALLY had a bomb and the US KNEW that, they'd never invade.

[Doublethinker]

we invaded iraq under the belief of making WMD's, they create one in order to prevent an invasion?
seems like a contradiction

Making WMD, not having one. The US missed its chance to invade Korea and Koreans know, that until they have the bomb they are safe and no invasion would happen.

[Doublethinker]

NK is an anachronisim...Like Spartans in the time Rome was big...Funny to look at, strange to contemplate, and dangerous only in their own minds.

Their "nuke" was hardly a quality item and took just about every resource they had to devlope. Now, they have an entirely different problem...how do they stay in the nuke club...and how do they defend themselves now that nukes are aimed at them. Helluva problem for a nation that can only feed 40% of it's people. MM

Korean problems with food are grossly overestimated. They had starvation in the beginning of the 90's due to collapse of socialist trading union. Now its different.

[Hunterhr]

Well, seeing what happened to Iraq its only logical that they want an a-bomb.

Of course it's only logical. Having an a-bomb allows a tyrant that many more years in power.

Along with the requisite support of people such as yourself. You should be proud.

[Kilgor]

Korean problems with food are grossly overestimated. They had starvation in the beginning of the 90's due to collapse of socialist trading union. Now its different.

The population has suffered decades of malnurishment and are of much shorter stature than their south korean brothers. This cannot be hidden nor is it a "gross overestimate"

[Doublethinker]

Of course it's only logical. Having an a-bomb allows a tyrant that many more years in power.

Along with the requisite support of people such as yourself. You should be proud.

You idiot, where did I express the SLIGHTEST support for Kim?:bash:

[Doublethinker]

The population has suffered decades of malnurishment and are of much shorter stature than their south korean brothers. This cannot be hidden nor is it a "gross overestimate"

"This cannot be hidden"? Oh really? Travel to DPRK a lot? p-)

All we know about Korea is either Korean propaganda or American/Japanese propaganda.

I pretty much agree that the situation is supposedly ****ty (like under most autoritarian and totalitarian regimes), but face it - we really DON'T KNOW what its like in North Korea, especially how severe the problems with food are.

[Mark Sman]

Nuke test was to avert war, says N Korea

Yup, OK.

Totally willing to go with that. Fair enough.

The United States of America conducted their own nuclear weapons test somewhere in that general region of the world in the past.

I hope that objective lesson is not lost on the North Koreans.

Seriously I hope it isn't. Because if they think we are going to play UN paddycakes with them like last time. Ummmmmm. No.

Nobody here could even picture what the scale or scope of that war was like 50 years ago.

Let alone what it would be like today.

Seoul might change hands twice more. But that would be it.

[Hunterhr]

You idiot, where did I express the SLIGHTEST support for Kim?:bash:

Lets leave the name calling at home. Your wonderfully witty comment obviously found no problem with N. Korea's nuclear weapon problem. Seeing as how that program is the bulwark behind Kim's regime, one can only conclude that you support his regime.

If you don't want people to misinterpret what you say, try writing more than one sentence replies.

[Doublethinker]

Lets leave the name calling at home. Your wonderfully witty comment obviously found no problem with N. Korea's nuclear weapon problem. Seeing as how that program is the bulwark behind Kim's regime, one can only conclude that you support his regime.

If you don't want people to misinterpret what you say, try writing more than one sentence replies.


All I did was point out that Kim's behaviour was logical. In no way did I express my support for his actions, so stop pulling ridiculous accusations out of your ass.

[Kilgor]

"This cannot be hidden"? Oh really? Travel to DPRK a lot? p-)

.:
There are numerous photos of north korean people. :roll:

Their growth looks stunted and they are thin even for asian standards.

[Doublethinker]

:
There are numerous photos of north korean people. :roll:

Their growth looks stunted and they are thin even for asian standards.

Your arguement is so lame, I don't even feel like discussing it.

AS IF you have conducted research on the average weight and height of asians.

AS IF some "pictures" you've seen shows average citizens, typical representatives of the population. I can show pictures too where NK citizens look perfectly normal for asians.

Come on, you are grasping at straws.

[Kilgor]

I dont have to , numerous human rights groups have studied the situation, and refugee's that have ecaped to freedom also tell their stories.

Its very typical of this type of government, famines and prison camps.

[Brent]

hehehe, these north korean's have the best propaganda,
thay still talk to the world as if thay are speaking to there own people.

[AK74]

maybe they are reading to much into the cold wars mutually assured destruction or M.A.D. ??

they are catching up i guess....rofl ]

USA and russia can do it, why cant i?