North Korea to resume six nation talks!

Seems too good to be true. Is this another game of threat and gain?

more info here


WAR.WIRE

North Korea will return to six-party talks: State Department

WASHINGTON (AFP) Jun 07, 2005
North Korea has informed the United States it would return to six-party talks on its nuclear arms program but did not say when, the State Department said Tuesday.
Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the assurance was given Monday in New York at a rare bilateral meeting of US and North Korean officials requested by Pyongyang.

"The North Koreans said they would return to the six-party process but they did not give us a time certain when they would return," McCormack said. He added that no conditions were discussed.

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Anyone really believe this?




[edit on 7-6-2005 by gman55]

"Mr McClellan told reporters that North Korea had "expressed a commitment to the talks" but "did not indicate in the meeting that they were ready to return"."

Pretty meaningless to me. Kind of a big joke really. They are flaunting their control over the situation.

I think they will just keep stalling as long as they can while they keep getting their nukes and military ready. Even if they do go back to the 6-party talks, they can still stall for a long long time.

Eventually Japan or the US will have to send the issue to the UN to try to force N. Korea into submission.

N. Korean is already starving and cutting food/energy/supplies to further isolate the country will only threaten to destroy the N. Korean government. That is why Kim has said seeking UN sanctions would be considered an act of war.

The issue of sanctions/isolation against N. Korea has been polarizing 6-party relations between US/Japan and Russia/China

I think the heat is on the US and the US doesn't want to do anything if it can avoid it. Japan is getting more and more nervous and will probably seek sanctions with US support. Right now N. Korea is doing what it wants and the remaining 6-party countries are basically asking them nicely to stop.

The N. Korean situation hasn’t changed in a year. Someone is going to have to take it up a notch to get movement. Whatever that move is, whomever it comes from, it could easily lead to a WW3 flash point.

This is a very big gamble:

*Is N. Korea is puffing up just to get more aid (a pre 9/11 policy) and unwilling to fight
*Or is N. Korea threatened by US “axis” policy (a post 9/11 policy) and willing to fight

I think N. Korea is preparing to defend itself and will attack when pushed to the edge

Originally posted by psychicmind

The N. Korean situation hasn’t changed in a year. Someone is going to have to take it up a notch to get movement. Whatever that move is, whomever it comes from, it could easily lead to a WW3 flash point.

This is a very big gamble:

*Is N. Korea is puffing up just to get more aid (a pre 9/11 policy) and unwilling to fight
*Or is N. Korea threatened by US “axis” policy (a post 9/11 policy) and willing to fight

I think N. Korea is preparing to defend itself and will attack when pushed to the edge

Agreed.
NK has been in this aggressive stance since 1953 and has been building defensive positions underground, not to mention their 1 million men standing army (worlds 3rd largest!). Add to this the mental status of their leader/lunatic and throw in a couple of crude nuclear warheads....mmmm not good. Wish NK's big brother (China) would step in and do something.

Yep...just as I thought.

NKorea says no nuclear talks unless conditions met

SEOUL (AFP) Jun 08, 2005
North Korea on Wednesday ruled out new talks on its nuclear ambitions unless Washington met unspecified conditions, in a setback to efforts to resolve the standoff.
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said a fourth round of talks would take place only when Washington agreed to Pyongyang's demands


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When will we ever learn? Do we have to hit over the head with a nuke?

Originally posted by gman55
When will we ever learn? Do we have to hit over the head with a nuke?

This has absolutely nothing to do with Washington's comments. I know it's trendy to blame the government for everything not perfect in this world, but in this case the fault definitely does not lie with them. North Korea has a habit of using any excuse available in order to delay talks. Then when they finally agree to come to the bargaining table, their demands multiply based on their "cooperation".

I'm sure this is well known to most people, but it doesn't hurt to recap for those who might not be aware of the repitious behavior of North Korea.

But let's not jump on the government conspiracy/inadequacy/stubbornness bandwagon. For reference, just look how cooperative North Korea is with China--their only ally left in the world.

Originally posted by backtoreality

Originally posted by gman55
When will we ever learn? Do we have to hit over the head with a nuke?

This has absolutely nothing to do with Washington's comments. I know it's trendy to blame the government for everything not perfect in this world, but in this case the fault definitely does not lie with them. North Korea has a habit of using any excuse available in order to delay talks. Then when they finally agree to come to the bargaining table, their demands multiply based on their "cooperation".

I'm sure this is well known to most people, but it doesn't hurt to recap for those who might not be aware of the repitious behavior of North Korea.

But let's not jump on the government conspiracy/inadequacy/stubbornness bandwagon. For reference, just look how cooperative North Korea is with China--their only ally left in the world.

Typing error..I meant "do WE have to be hit over the head...." We have been down this road before...it's getting old, talks to help them, economic aid for them (bribe) and then they turn around and start it right up again.

Chronology of North Korean nuclear talks

SEOUL (AFP) Jun 08, 2005
Key dates in talks aimed at ending the standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons drive:

1994

North Korea and the US sign a nuclear safeguard accord after Pyongyang vows to freeze and eventually dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

2002

October: North Korea reportedly admits to US special envoy James Kelly that it is running a uranium enrichment program in violation of the 1994 accord.

2003

Jan 10: Pyongyang withdraws from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

April 23: The United States, North Korea and China meet for three days of talks in Beijing. North Korea admits to possessing nuclear weapons, according to the US side. Pyongyang submits a "bold proposal" for resolving the crisis.

Aug 27-29: South Korea, Russia and Japan join the first round of six-way nuclear talks in Beijing. North Korea threatens to conduct a nuclear test and declare itself a nuclear power.

Oct 2: North Korea says it has produced enough weapons-grade plutonium for half-a-dozen atomic bombs as a step towards boosting its nuclear deterrent. Two weeks later it vows to display the "physical force" of its nuclear deterrent.

2004

Jan 12: North Korea again offers to freeze nuclear reactors producing weapons grade plutonium if compensated by Washington.

Feb 22-24: Second round of six-party talks end without progress. China says "severe" differences remain.

May 14: North Korea says it will never accept US demands for a complete dismantling of its nuclear programs at working level six-nation talks in Beijing.

June 23-25: Third round of six-party talks held in Beijing. No progress reported but parties agree to meet again for a fourth round in September.

Aug 23: North Korea says it is "impossible" to attend more talks because of "hostile" US policy, labels Bush an "imbecile" and a "tyrant" who is worse than Adolf Hitler.

Sept 28: The US warns North Korea it might be reported to the UN Security Council if it refuses participation in six-party talks.

Oct 8: North Korea says it is ready to resume six-party talks at any time and blames the delay on Bush for stalling.

Dec 4: North Korea says it will not return to talks until the lineup of a new US administration emerges.

2005

Feb 10: North Korea indefinitely suspends participation in talks and says it has manufactured nuclear weapons.

March 16: North Korea lashes out at US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for calling the communist state an "outpost of tyranny" and rules out new talks.

March 31: North Korea says the six-party talks should be transformed into arms reduction talks, as it has already produced nuclear weapons.

May 5: The International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that North Korea has close to six nuclear weapons.

May 13: US and North Korean officials meet in New York.

June 6: US and North Korean officials meet again in New York.

June 7: North Korea will return to six nation talks on its nuclear arms programme within "weeks", China's ambassador to the United Nations says.

June 8: North Korea says no nuclear talks unless Washington meets unspecified conditions.

North Korea has nuclear bombs, building more: official

WASHINGTON (AFP) Jun 09, 2005
North Korea has a stockpile of nuclear bombs and is building more such weapons, the country's vice foreign minister Kim Gye Gwan said in an interview with a US television network released Wednesday.
"I should say that we have enough nuclear bombs to defend against a US attack," the North Korean official told ABC News when asked how many nuclear bombs it possessed.

Asked whether Pyongyang was building more nuclear bombs, Kim said: "Yes."


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Back and forth, and back and forth....

Good summary Gman. I think that speaks volumes.

Living well within range of NK missiles, I take a little more interest in this situation than others living in Europe or in the Americas might. What has been posted up to this point is accurate: NK making bold claims only to crawl back to the bargaining table demanding even more. Actually, it now seems that their demands are becoming more "unspecified". That could be seen as making even more outrageous demands or perhaps becoming more realistic about the situation; hopefully, the latter.

There are those out there, particularly in America, criticizing the strong US stance on the matter. Typical talks of shaky intelligence, being uncooperative, oil, or whatever crap they can throw around are often included in editorials on the subject. But let me make this clear: while the people of Japan are understandably nervous about the situation, the vast majority are extremely greatful that the US is over here to protect them and stand up against the country that fired a missile over them in 1998 just to show they could hit Tokyo at any time. Please do not let the press in America, who have probably never left the protective bubble of their country for more than a few weeks at a time, tell you what's going on on the other side of the planet. Truth is, until they come over here and get a feel for themselves they have no idea.

Hmm...kinda sounds like another conflict going on. But that's a whole different topic.

Originally posted by backtoreality
Good summary Gman. I think that speaks volumes.

Living well within range of NK missiles,...

Thank you backtoreality. Your post was a sharp reminder to me that all this is just not an intellectual exercise for me and many others. You are, in all probility one of the closest counties that would suffer if this oneupmanship gets out of hand. I feel for you and yours.

Too bad more americans have not felt the fear of an unstable neighbor.

I just saw the news reports about NK making more nukes...right before they are supposed to return to the table.....sigh. This thing is getting out of hand and we (the world) better get something done before we really do have WWIII.