Patriot Paradox
Posted on 02/09/2005 11:15:30 PM PST by sonsofliberty2000
Edited on 02/09/2005 11:33:13 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea (news - web sites) publicly admitted Thursday for the first time that it has nuclear weapons, and said it wouldn't return to six-nation talks aimed at getting it to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Diplomats have said that North Korea has acknowledged having nuclear arms in private talks, but this is the first time the communist government has said so directly to the public.
"We had already taken the resolute action of pulling out of the (Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty) and have manufactured nukes for self-defense to cope with the Bush administration's ever-more undisguised policy to isolate and stifle the DPRK," the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
DPRK refers to the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
North Korea's "nuclear weapons will remain (a) nuclear deterrent for self-defense under any circumstances," the ministry said. "The present reality proves that only powerful strength can protect justice and truth."
Since 2003, the United States, the two Koreas, China, Japan and Russia have held three rounds of talks in Beijing aimed at persuading the North to abandon nuclear weapons development in return for economic and diplomatic rewards. But no significant progress has been made.
A fourth round scheduled for September was canceled when North Korea refused to attend, citing what it called a "hostile" U.S. policy.
Thursday's statement came after President Bush (news - web sites) started his second term last month by refraining from direct criticism of North Korea — raising hopes that the North would return to the stalled nuclear talks. But North Korea said it had little hope for improved ties during Bush's second term office.
"We have wanted the six-party talks but we are compelled to suspend our participation in the talks for an indefinite period till we have recognized that there is justification for us to attend the talks," the North said Thursday.
North Korea said it came to its decision because "the U.S. disclosed its attempt to topple the political system in the DPRK at any cost, threatening it with a nuclear stick."
Still, North Korea said it retained its "principled stand to solve the issue through dialogue and negotiations and its ultimate goal to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula remain unchanged."
but but but... Jimmy Carter said they didn't, and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his work in N Korea....
FYI.
ping
can we get Carter's Nobel Peace prize back? Maybe he can get SKerry to throw it over the White House fence for him!
When does K2 get to use them on his own people?
Pinging... N. Korea is getting out of the six-party talks now.
Damn, I think we haven't done enough here, to allow a rogue state like NK to complete a nuke is a failure in and of itself. Either we invade or throw them a welcome to the nuclear club party, I hope it's the former.
...there was another crisis in 1994, when Kim il Sung expelled International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors and threatened to begin reprocessing 8,000 spent fuel rods from a nuclear power plant. The U.S. government refused to talk to North Korean leaders, and made plans for economic sanctions and a military attack. As the crisis escalated, The Carter Center was finally given reluctant permission from President Clinton (news - web sites) for me to visit Pyongyang. A satisfactory agreement was concluded and later confirmed by both governments, with participation by South Korea, Japan and others...
Never has one peacekeeper done so much to destablize the peace.
We will have to throw the Leftists out of this country before we use any Force on Iran or NK.
Him too!
Shut them both up!
Perhaps convincing them to love our country will force them to leave. ; 0
Hey! The two of them together make a "Full Bright"!
Every nuclear power has first made a test; North Korea has made no such nuclear test.
Until they test, they have every reason to *deny* having nukes.
Without a nuclear test, the serious players may use the DPRK's public words against them, but behind closed doors people will think that they are bluffing.
IMHO .....Kim can't play poker worth a damn.......he's bluffing. Kick his butt back to the curb like the rabid dog he is !
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