McCain sees no six-party talks in the near future

JoongAng Daily ^ | 08/27/2013 | Sarah Kim

[TexGrill]

Senator John McCain, who ran for the U.S. presidency in 2008, said six-party talks are not likely with Pyongyang until “the North Korean regime shows meaningful steps towards denuclearization.”

He said until denuclearization of the North was accomplished, “there should be no relaxation of pressure and no resumption of six-party negotiations.”

President Park Geun-hye met with three U.S. lawmakers yesterday to exchange views on North Korean policy as relations between Seoul and Pyongyang begin to thaw.

Park met with Arizona’s McCain, a Republican, and Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat representing Rhode Island, at the Blue House.

Separately, Park also met with U.S. Democratic Representative Charles Rangel of New York.

The two emphasized the importance of the Korea-U.S. alliance and the importance of improving human rights in North Korea.

Afterwards, McCain and Whitehouse held a press conference at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in central Seoul emphasizing the United States’ military commitment to Korea and urging trilateral cooperation among Washington and its two democratic allies in the region, Seoul and Tokyo.

McCain, in his first trip to Seoul in two decades, was skeptical that a peace treaty between the North and South could be signed soon.

“I cannot imagine the North Korean government allowing a free and fair election with international observers,” he said. “It seems to me that would have to be the basis of a peace treaty.”

[TexGrill]

Global business tip

[TexGrill]

Paul Krugman is to economic policy such as Sen. John McCain is to foreign policy. Who’s worse?

[clearcarbon]

"...until denuclearization of the North was accomplished"

So, how many decades has this project been going on now?

[TexGrill]

McCain also said, no peace treaty until “North Korea has free and fair elections.” If he’s expecting a full-fledged democray to bloom in Pyongyang then he really needs to go to a retirment home and be locked up for national security reasons. Who would be foolish enough to believe that Kim Jong Un wants to be eleted as the country’s leader without resorting to Obama-style voting tactics.

[clearcarbon]

"Who would be foolish enough to believe that Kim Jong Un wants to be eleted as the country’s leader without resorting to Obama-style voting tactics.”

[TigerLikesRooster]

I hope he meant ‘no deals until NK regime implodes.’ McCain is indeed getting old. He had a screw or two loose even a decade or so ago. So how many of his screws are loose these days?