Posted on 10/27/2005 7:29:10 PM PDT by HAL9000
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korea refuses to unilaterally declare its nuclear programs for verification because it remains "technically" at war with the United States amid deep mutual distrust, a senior North Korean diplomat said here Thursday.Han Song-ryol, North Korea's deputy chief of mission to the United Nations, accused the U.S. of obstructing the improvement of inter-Korean relations and the normalization of relations between his country and Japan.
In a speech sponsored by private Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS), Han insisted U.S. accusations against Pyongyang about trafficking drugs and counterfeit goods are an "undisguised campaign against the DPRK" intended to "impair the ever-rising prestige of the dignified DPRK."
DPRK, or Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is North Korea's official name.
Han began a three-day visit to Washington on Wednesday at the invitation of ICAS. He was welcomed warmly by U.S. congressmen, including Rep. Curt Weldon, who hosted a luncheon after the speech.
Han's remarks precede resumption of six-party talks expected early next month in which South and North Korea, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan will discuss follow-up measures to their Sept. 19 agreement.
The agreement says Pyongyang will give up its existing nuclear weapons and programs in return for political and economic incentives.
It also says other parties will consider "at an appropriate time" the provision of a light-water reactor to the North. Parties other than North Korea say the appropriate time means after the Stalinist state rejoins the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and submits to full outside inspections.
North Korea is being asked to declare all of its nuclear-related programs for verification and dismantlement, but Han said this will not happen.
"The U.S. seems to demand DPRK to make its voluntary report on the nuclear weapons. Reporting the nuclear weapons is a kind of abandonment of nuclear weapons first and unilateral disarmament," he said.
"The DPRK and the U.S. now are at war technically and there exists tremendous (residual) mistrust between them. Under these circumstances, the DPRK cannot accept the demand to reporting its nuclear weapons voluntarily," he said.
South and North Korea have only signed an armistice at the end of the Korean War (1950-1953) instead of a peace treaty. The U.S. signed the armistice on behalf of the U.N. forces.
"It will discuss at the time when the confidence and trust are fully built between the DPRK and the U.S," Han said.
Han later told Yonhap in an exclusive interview that this report will be made only after it receives the light-water reactor.
"The provision of light-water reactor has to be completed," he said.
The U.S. State Department reiterated its stance that the light-water reactor, as stated in the Sept. 19 agreement, can be discussed after North Korea acts first.
"They know what they agreed to," department spokesman Sean McCormack said at a daily briefing.
Han said the U.S. must provide the reactor as early as possible "as evidence proving the former's (the U.S.'s) substantial recognition of the latter's nuclear activity for a peaceful purpose."
"The DPRK's dismantlement of its nuclear deterrent will follow the provision of LWR (light-water reactor), since it sees (this) as a physical guarantee for confidence-building," said Han.
The diplomat accused the U.S. of standing in the way of North Korea's diplomatic advancement.
"If there were no U.S. obstruction, inter-Korean relations should have developed further and the normalization of the DPRK-Japan relations should have been realized," he said.
Score one for the little troll with the funny hair.
Wouldn't we be having the exact same thing... from the royal dictator family, to the bizzare press releases, to the continued state of war, and the massive US troop presence...
Wouldn't we have the same think in Iraq if Bush didn't move to end that whole fiasco in the Persian Gulf?
North Korea says one thing to US officials, another thing to its citizens, a third thing to the international media, and then takes actions that don't match up with any of those. So it's hard to get too excitable one way or the other over anything the DPRK says.
Damn, we've been fighting North Korea to a standstill in this war without even realizing it, ARE WE NOT MEN?!
A group of Texas girlscouts could sissy slap North Korea in to a 12 year coma.
Okay, pull back our troops and launch enough missiles to take out their capability to strike.
Re: "...because it remains "technically" at war with the United States..."
Well... Then lets end the war by giving North Korea a few of the nukes it wants via US Air Force Express Mail!
North Korea says one thing to US officials, another thing to its citizens, a third thing to the international media, and then takes actions that don't match up with any of those.
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And if you want the same thing here in the USA, vote Hitlery, 2008.
Little eraser head regimes play eraser head games. They know of no other methods.
If were at war, let's act like we are and drop some JDAMS on the Kim residence.
"Do not attack the First Marine Division. Leave the yellowlegs alone. Strike the American Army." - Orders given to Communist troops in the Korean War; shortly afterward, the Marines were ordered to not wear their khaki leggings to keep the enemy from immediately fleeing
"Panic sweeps my men when they are facing the American Marines!" - Captured North Korean Major
bump
I say to start things off, we drop a GBU-38 on the USS Pueblo (giving it a proper burial) to send them a message.
Damn right. Thanks for remembering the Pueblo.
Better to turn that honorable ship into razor blades than to have it sit as a North Korean military trophy.
Revenge for the Pueblo and the Iranian embassy hostages are two things I hope to live long enough to see.
My dad was the Security Officer for Yokosuka when the Pueblo incident occured, and we didn't see him for about two weeks. My mother says he spent the whole time in the Comm shack on the base.
My dad socialized with CDR. Butcher at the O'Club quite often (He also ran the O'Club) and knew him well.
Small world. A good friend of mine was assigned to the ship next to the Pueblo, the name of which escapes just now, and it was the same tpe of ship as the Pueblo. The crew was on liberty, so the Pueblo got the mission.
With all of the military assets we had in place due to Vietnam, I couldn't believe no one came to Bucher's aid.
Another L. Johnson screw up.
I seem to recall it was the Banning or something like that...
Ping.
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