N. Korea May Begin to Dismantle Nukes

Examiner.com ^ | 8 February 2007 | BURT HERMAN

[shrinkermd]

BEIJING - North Korea agreed in principle Thursday to take initial steps toward dismantling its nuclear programs at the start of international talks seeking the first concrete progress on disarming Pyongyang.

The main U.S. negotiator said talks resumed on a positive note, and that sides were hoping to achieve an agreement on the first steps for the North's disarmament.

"We had a good first day today," Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters. "We hope we can achieve some kind of joint statement here."

Unlike the last round of six-nation talks in December, Hill said the countries "were able to make progress on discussing denuclearization."

Negotiators are working to lay out the implementation of a September 2005 agreement in which the North pledged to disarm in exchange for aid and security guarantees.

Hill said a draft agreement expected from the Chinese hosts by Friday morning would detail a "set of actions taken in a finite amount of time." He declined to give specifics, but said the moves would take place in a matter of "single-digit weeks."

Still, Hill remained cautious on prospects for an agreement, saying "the first step of a journey is often the most difficult step."

[shrinkermd]

FYI. If true, this is big news.

[AU72]

Heard that Jong may have been out of the country and now this development may indicate a change at the top.

[edpc]

I don't believe this for a minute. Even if they do open up their reactor for inspections, they've had more than enough time to relocate operations and research elsewhere.

[theDentist]

Don't believe it.

[rhombus]

I seriously doubt this. That being said, the Bush Administration should be out there trumpeting another victory of the multi-party talks - something the Democrats have opposed for years. Tony Snow: Are you still reading FR?

[null and void]

I don't believe it, but, perhaps they found that building a nuke is a lot more difficult than they thought and are trying to salvage as much of their pride and political advantage as possible.

[Thermalseeker]

That being said, the Bush Administration should be out there trumpeting another victory of the multi-party talks - something the Democrats have opposed for years.

Don't go holdin' your breath.....

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Don't buy it.

[Philistone]

Bush's fault!

[Fitzcarraldo]

Just another ruse. The boy who cried wolf.

[Sword_Svalbardt]

I'll take the position of wait and see.

[aculeus]

If true, this is big news.

Indeed.

[jackv]

Even if it is short lived, they need to get this out there and shove it down the libs throats.

[sarasota]

Exactly. End of story.

[Rutles4Ever]

IF true, Kim Jong-il sleeps with the fishes. This kind of about-face would be unthinkably humiliating to Li'l Kim. Just my unadulterated speculation.

[EarthBound]

Somebody should tell them that detonating them doesn't count as dismantling.

[silverleaf]

Hmm. Who is wielding what big stick here? OR is this just more Korean treachery?

[syriacus]

At least the folks in South Korea are not starving and enslaved...That's thanks, in part, to 30,000 Americans* who gave their lives in Korea in 30 months under a Truman administration (which imposed full wartime censorship).

*many of them drafted; many of them 17 years-old

[Mack the knife]

I don't believe it, but, perhaps they found that building a nuke is a lot more difficult than they thought and are trying to salvage as much of their pride and political advantage as possible.

---

Take it a step further -- I saw a post some time ago that revealed that if you let uranium rods cook too long in a reactor, the plutonium 242(?) absorbs additional neutrons to make it a more stable plutonium 244 (?), which will absorb additional neutrons and stop a chain reaction before it starts. This was hypothesized as a reason why the underground test fizzled.

If true, the North Koreans are being punished for something they can no longer do, and they might like to get out from under.