North Korea ready to reprocess spent nuclear fuel into plutonium(DOUBLING NUCLEAR ARSENAL)

AFP ^ | 04/17/05

[TigerLikesRooster]

North Korea ready to reprocess spent nuclear fuel into plutonium

Sun Apr 17, 3:06 AM ET

	Asia - AFP

TOKYO (AFP) - North Korea has halted operations at a nuclear power reactor at the center of an international row, a move that could let Pyongyang reprocess spent fuel to retract plutonium and boost its nuclear arsenal, a press report said.

North Korean workers re-paint a propaganda tower near the truce village of Panmunjom. (AFP/File/Jung Yeon-Je)

The United States will shortly send Christopher Hill, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, to South Korea, Japan and China for talks to cope with the new development in the nuclear stand-off, the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun said.

Washington has verified that operations at the five-megawatt reactor in Yongbyon were suspended in April, the influential daily said in a report from Washington quoting sources including US government officials.

The US administration reached the conclusion by analysing satellite pictures and estimating temperatures on the walls of nuclear facilities and amounts of steam coming from boilers at Yongbyon, north of Pyongyang, the report said.

Pyongyang could double its nuclear arsenal if it reprocesses 8,000 spent nuclear rods from the Yongbyon reactor as it has claimed to have done before.

The controversial reactor was frozen under a 1994 deal with a US-led consortium which promised to provide the Stalinist state with reactors which produce much less weapons-grade plutonium and heavy oil.

But the North reactivated the reactor in late 2002 after Washington accused Pyongyang of going ahead with a separate, secret nuclear weapons programme based on highly enriched uranium.

The new nuclear stand-off has led to six-nation talks involving the two Koreas, China, Russia, the United States and Japan to end the North's nuclear arms ambitions.

Pyongyang has suspended the negotiations, accusing the United States of hostility, and in February declared that it possessed nuclear weapons for self-defense.

Selig Harrison, a senior researcher at the US Center for International Policy, said after visiting Pyongyang earlier this month that North Korean officials suggested they would start reprocessing the spent fuel rods in late April unless the United States promised not to try to topple the regime of Kim Jong-Il.

North Koreans dance as they celebrate the 93rd birthday of their national founder, the late Kim Il-sung, at the Kim Il-sung square in Pyongyang on Friday in this picture released by the Korea News Service on April 16, 2005. JAPAN OUT REUTERS/Korea News Service

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050417/wl_asia_afp/nkoreanuclearus_050417070610

[TigerLikesRooster]

N. Korea is up to its trick again. Another step of escalation. This is what we call a "game of chicken." Stakes are growing exponentially.

[Tempestuous]

NK would make a good glass parking lot.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[rodguy911]

Is their any reason all for them not to reprocess more uranium, who will stop them? As long as China let's them they will keep being the bad boys on the block in a bad neighborhood.

[trek]

"N. Korea is up to its trick again."

Time to kill the pot-bellied pig and put an end to the trickery.

[AmericanInTokyo]

"KUWAIT (AFP) - Iraq has halted operations at a nuclear power reactor at the center of an international row, a move that could let Baghdad reprocess spent fuel to retract plutonium and boost its nuclear arsenal, a press report said. Washington has verified that operations at the five-megawatt reactor in Samawah were suspended in April, the influential daily said in a report from Washington quoting sources including US government officials. The US administration reached the conclusion by analysing satellite pictures and estimating temperatures on the walls of nuclear facilities and amounts of steam coming from boilers at Samawah, south of Baghdad, the report said. Baghdad could double its nuclear arsenal if it reprocesses 8,000 spent nuclear rods from the Samawah reactor as it has claimed to have done before."

2002: What would have been our response? Further, useless, "Six Party Talks" with the Germans, French, Kuwaitis, Israelis, Egyptians and ourselves?

[JOE43270]

If things keep going like they are that just may be the way it turns out. People need to wake up and start realizing just how much EVIL there is in the World. Our People in Uniform are doing an Outstanding job overseas. When the enemy finally erupts after they have infiltrated our streets we will have to fight also. A lot of people think they will be protected always. Too a point that's true. When everthing goes bad they will want to blame President Bush. Well, wake up people, he is only one person. Call you congressman and senators. They are the first in control. Read the Constitution of the United States. Five hundred and thirty five people that we elected have more control than the President that takes care of the day to business of America and in my mind and heart is doing a great job. Get this, those five hundred and thirty five would like you to believe they are innocent and the President is always the one at fault.

[StarCMC]

bump and ping

[cardinal4]

Except there is very little sand in DPRK..

[rodguy911]

Excellent post Joe.

[NonValueAdded]

Clinton legacy bump.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Nothing happens in NK without the PRC's approval.

[NJ_gent]

"As long as China let's them"

Beijing is well within range of North Korea's nuclear-capable Tae-po Dong II missiles. They know this, so they're very, very careful in how they deal with North Korea. Prior to the current nuclear crisis, China supported North Korea because it was a convenient distraction of US forces in the area. With the dawn of North Korea's almost certain rise to being a nuclear power, China is stuck in the uncomfortable position of providing support to a madman while trying ever so delicately to take his finger off the button.

China handled North Korea for quite a long time. Now that North Korea is beyond anyone's handling, they're keeping the current regime on a lifeline to avoid a scorched-Earth policy nuclear launch ("if I can't have it, nobody can!") while working back channels with defectors and current government members to get someone in power who's more stable and more controllable.

That's not to say that China wouldn't possibly let a bit of weaponry and manpower grow legs and walk over to North Korea's defense in the event of a US attack (of course, Beijing would know nothing about it and deny any allegation to the contrary).

[NJ_gent]

"When everthing goes bad they will want to blame President Bush. Well, wake up people, he is only one person."

That whole 'President' thing is why people blame him for military failures or inactions. Yes, he's one person - the commander-in-chief of the United States military, whose sole Constitutional purpose is the defense of the nation.

When the Valdez ran aground and dumped tons of oil into the area, do you think they blamed the hundreds of Exxon stockholders? Or did they perhaps blame the captain of the ship?

"Five hundred and thirty five people that we elected have more control than the President"

The powers are separate and balanced. Also, as the commander-in-chief, he has the power to make war on a nation for 60 days without consent of Congress under the 1973 War Powers Act. Pretending he's a powerless little man with no control, authority, or responsibility belittles him and the office of the President.

[ASA Vet]

Except there is very little sand in DPRK..

Ok, here's another idea.

[NJ_gent]

"Nothing happens in NK without the PRC's approval."

This was once true, but not anymore. Please see my #13 for details. Also, take a look at the massive military build-up of Chinese military forces along the North Korean border for further evidence that China is unable to continue its control over North Korea. Officially, those forces are there to help control rampant illegal immigration from refugees fleeing North Korea. I'm not sure what kinds of immigrants they've got coming out of North Korea, but if China honestly needs several tank and artillery divisions as well as air power (bombers and fighters) to stop them, then there's something seriously wrong.

[NJ_gent]

You should modify the map to reflect the elimination of South Korea and much of Japan and eastern China as well. If we launch nuclear weapons against North Korea, they're going to launch them against everyone else in the region, starting with our allies.

[OahuBreeze]

Yes, more of the same from the sick little dictator.

Lots going on. Nice common rallying point going on in Asia for all those concerned with propping the dictator up -- the anti-Japanese rallies. Not that the Japanese don't need some censure for past deeds and present failures to own up for them (distortion of history in school books, etc). But the timing is interesting. Also interesting is Seoul's failure to likewise condemn the killing off of one tenth of the North Korean population over the past twelve years by little Kim. Or the kidnapping of hundreds, if not thousands, or South Koreans by the North over the past few decades. At least the Japanese finally had the guts and human decency to recently demand accountability from Pyongyang. Seoul doesn't give a damn. Probably why ROK polls in 03 showed over half the population desiring to emigrate. What a great job Roh is doing.

Check this link - http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200504/200504170034.html - for current news on "People Power 21"'s (one of Roh's brown shirt organizations) efforts to get ROK ambassador to the US recalled over alleged real estate illegalities. Don't fail to take note of paragraph four: "The group People Power 21 issued a statement titled, 'Don’t Test the People' which read, 'As Ambassador Hong was the chairman of a media company tasked with monitoring and criticizing the government' at the time of his illegal transaction, "his actions must be condemned even more.” Hong was the chairman of the JoongAng Ilbo [conservative ROK newspaper -- Hong's appointment in Feb was somewhat of a surprise -- undoubtedly the Roh administration wanted to capitalize on his strong ties to the US]". Don't really no anything about Hong's real estate deals. If he is pulled though, it will be interesting to see who Roh appoints in his place.