Posted on 08/16/2004 4:57:35 AM PDT by yonif
NORTH Korea said today it won't attend working meetings ahead of the next round of six-party talks on dismantling its nuclear program and said it has no intention of immediately shutting down its nuclear facilities.
"It is clear that there would be nothing to expect even if the DPRK sits at the negotiating table with the US under the present situation," an unnamed Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.
The US has said it would like to convene a working party meeting of participants in the six-nation talks as soon as possible to prepare for the next session, expected by the end of September. Along with the United States and North Korea, the talks include South Korea, China, Japan and Russia.
At the latest talks in June, North Korea offered to freeze its nuclear program in exchange for energy, lifting of US economic sanctions and removal from Washington's list of state sponsors of terrorism. It said the freeze would be a step toward eventual dismantling of the program.
The US wants the North to go further and disclose all nuclear activities, help dismantle facilities and allow outside monitoring. Under the plan, some benefits would be withheld to ensure the North cooperates.
Today, North Korea repeated claims that the United States was reserving the right to use force to disarm the country, although US officials have said they have no intention of launching an invasion. Pyongyang also denied it was seeking to delay the nuclear talks to wait for results of the US presidential election in November.
North Korea claimed the "hastily" proposed working talks ahead of the full negotiations indicated "that the US is, in actuality, not interested in making the dialogue fruitful but only seeks to give an impression that it makes efforts to solve the issue."
"A nuclear freeze is possible and it can lead to the dismantlement of the nuclear program only when the situation develops in the direction of the US dropping hostile acts against the DPRK," the ministry official said. "On the contrary, these acts are escalating.
This prevents the DPRK from freezing its nuclear facilities, much less dismantling its nuclear program.
"The US has destroyed itself the foundation for the talks, making it impossible for the DPRK to go to the forthcoming meeting of the working group," the official said.
The North Korean Government in the past has regularly heightened its rhetoric ahead of key talks.
The nuclear dispute flared in 2002 when US officials said North Korea admitted running a secret nuclear program in violation of international agreements.
Yesterday, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun urged North Korea to peacefully resolve its standoff over its nuclear ambitions and make a decision to disarm soon.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer is to visit Pyongyang tomorrow for talks on the nation's nuclear capability and the stand-off on the Korean Peninsula.
Not attending will ruin their shot at a door prize.
They are waiting to see what benefits they can get from Kerry.
Probably. I think that's what Sadir is waiting for as well.
They know they have a 50% chance of a 'better team' to deal with, in fact, the Old Team (Albright, etc) from late January next year, than to give any concessions to a possible lame duck, anti-Communist American administration.
As well as Iran and Syria.
For some strange reason I get the impression that everyone but the Bush administration and FR got the memo that Kerry won the election already.
DPRK is waiting for Democrat President/Revolutionary Kerry. If that happens, the negotiations will change dramatically and in NK's favor. As long as Kim thinks Bush might lose, he won't have any reason to negotiate with him now.
In the meantime, I would:
--Continue to building up offensive weaponry and develop nuclear capability, and launch accuracy;
--Harden silos of operational centers and hideouts for Kim Jong il in the north of the DPRK
--Begin overtures to the Kerry camp through Bill Richardson, Madeline Albright, Jack Pritchard and others, utilizing the DPRK mission in New York City as the front line base in the US;
and finally,
--find some way to influence the Presidential election such as flow sums of money into an anti-Bush organization in the states through leftist South Korean organizations in league with leftist/Democratic organizations in the United States.
bump alert
They are so predictable.
Kerry will lose big. I talk to peopel all over the country everyday from many walks of life,(outside FR), the most liberal people I talk to say they can't support ole flip flop.
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