Posted on 01/01/2008 12:47:49 AM PST by TigerLikesRooster
US warning to North Korea as nuclear deadline lapses Mon Dec 31, 3:26 PM ET
The United States warned North Korea Monday of potential economic and political fallout after the Stalinist state failed to meet a year-end deadline to come clean on its nuclear activity.
The State Department said its top envoy on the nuclear issue, Christopher Hill, was expected to hold talks with officials from Japan, South Korea, China and Russia to chart the next steps.
Department spokesman Tom Casey confirmed that North Korea, to no one's surprise, had failed to deliver a declaration detailing its atomic programs by the December 31 deadline, which was set out under a six-nation agreement.
"There has been no last-minute change," he told reporters. "It's unfortunate but we are going to keep on working on this."
North Korea now risks losing out on diplomatic and economic incentives promised in return for a full nuclear declaration, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said.
"This is an action-for-action process," he told reporters in Texas, where US President George W. Bush was to ring in 2008 on his ranch.
"In order to have action on one side, we have to have action on the other side as well," Stanzel said.
"We think it's possible for the North Koreans to provide a full and complete declaration. We hope that they will do that as soon as possible," he said.
However, both the White House and State Department were unwilling to talk of new deadlines after North Korea flouted the year-end requirement.
"I'm not going to put a timeline on it," Stanzel said.
Under the six-nation pact, North Korea was required to disable its main nuclear plants by December 31 and declare all its nuclear programs and weaponry.
In exchange, the other parties were to club together in financial and economic assistance to the impoverished and isolated state, including one million tons of fuel oil or equivalent energy aid.
"I expect there will be some consultations on this over the next few days among the parties to see how we want to proceed from here," Casey said.
"We're still committed to getting a declaration, and we want that declaration to be full and complete."
Japan and South Korea also expressed regret at the delay, which came amid a report that the communist state has slowed down the disabling work it began in November.
"We've always known all along that each step in this process was going to be more and more difficult," Casey said.
"The declaration is really critical to ensuring not only that this phase is completed, but that we be able to move forward successfully on the next and most important phase," he said, referring to a fully denuclearized North Korea.
Removal of fuel rods at North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear complex has been slowed by US insistence that the process fully meet international safety requirements.
But Casey said the North Koreans themselves were to blame for other delays, after Japan's Kyodo News said Pyongyang had told the US it was reducing the shifts of workers carrying out the disablement operation.
In any case, the North Korean declaration is widely seen as a political step which requires a strategic decision by the Kim Jong-Il regime on how much it wants to reveal about its past nuclear activity.
One problem with the declaration is reaching agreement on how much bomb-making plutonium was produced at Yongbyon in the past.
The North used some of this to stage its first atomic weapons test in October 2006, a shock event that lent greater urgency to the six-party process.
"This can't be a situation where they pretend to give us a full declaration and we pretend to believe them," Casey said.
It really matters who issues this warning. If Bolton or Cheney does it, it has a credibility. If Chris "Kim Jong" Hill or Condi "Sunshine" Rice does, no credibility whatsoever. If I were Kim Jong-il, I would ignore it even if Condi issues the threat of nuclear annihilation.
Ping!
Yes, you are correct.
This entire N. Korea nuclear “gonna tell all” was a joke from the beginning.
LOL, of course, that is only my opinion.
Happy New Year.
We have walked very loudly but carried a puny stick (the opposite one must do in Asia and with the communists in particular).
The North Koreans know they have won "The Game".
They won "The Game" over the Clintonites.
They were on the ropes for a while with Bush, for four or five years.
But in the end, just as with the Clintonites, North Korea won over the Bush/Condi team as well. It is common knowledge here in Asia.
You are right. State Dept. is viewed nothing more than a yapping poodle.
When they rushed hither and yon to get North Koreas illegal funds from Macao, North Korea knew they had the US by the balls (through State), again, precisely from that moment.
I have this suspicion that the USA is willing to sacrifice all of Asia to the Chinese.
More like Yorkies than Poodles.
Look for a lot more trouble to come our way with the remaining year of the Bush Administration.
They are going to appease like there is no tomorrow, and sell out the whole store if they have a chance.
This horrendous and dangerous agenda will be furthered if Hitlery gets in power (which Kim Jong il thirsts for) or if an appeasing RINO on the level of Bush/Condi from the GOP side is also successful.
Either way, Kim Jong il WINS.
All George W. Bush has to do now is send Condi Rice to Pyongyang to play the piano for Comrade Chia Pet, promise to restore all the goodies agreed to by the Clintonistas back in ‘94, and presto, change-o, just add some typical ‘compassionate conservative’ RINO-bullsh*t and there you go:
*INSTANT LEGACY* !!!
Yeah, yeah,.....sanctions coming right up courtesy of our fearless Dept of State. More like Foggy Bottom will just press for another round of negotiations and incentives when NK makes fools us them (us) again. After all, we’ve got to keep ‘em talking don’t ya know?
Honestly, I can’t remember the last time the State Dept did what was really best for America. IMHO, we need to fire the whole lot of these pinstriped pinheads and start fresh. It will never happen though.
The NK’s have learned how to play us like a fiddle.
Ya know this is all so ridiculous.
NK depends on China and China depends on the West.
More than half of China’s exports are shipped to America.
All Bush has to do is inform the Chicoms that unless they get their dog NK “back on the porch”; not one container of the Chicoms’ junk will be offloaded in Los Angeles or anywhere else in the world.
How do you say “embargo” in Chinese?
“We think it’s possible for the North Koreans to provide a full and complete declaration. We hope that they will do that as soon as possible,” he said.
Hey Stanzel, Time’s Up!
Maybe Bush feel sorry for Kim Jong 11 being roaney he looking other way I could be wrong
I think AmericaninTokyo is right it is legacy time
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