Posted on 10/11/2008 10:17:43 PM PDT by americanophile
Japan has criticised as "extremely regrettable" Washington's decision to remove North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa told Japanese media that "abductions amount to terrorist acts". Japan wants action on people it believes were kidnapped by Pyongyang. The US removed North Korea from its terror list after saying the North had agreed to provide full access to its controversial nuclear programme. Mr Nakagawa objected to the move during a visit to Washington, where he is attending G7 talks. Tokyo argues North Korea should remain on the list because issues related to the abduction of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s have not been resolved. 'Normalisation' South Korea, however, welcomed the US decision. US State Department official on North Korea "This government welcomes these moves as an opportunity that would lead to normalisation of the six-party talks and North Korea's eventual abandonment of its nuclear programmes," said Kim Sook, Seoul's nuclear envoy. On Saturday State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said North Korea would resume its disabling of nuclear facilities. This disablement was agreed in 2007, but the process has recently reversed with North Korea threatening to restart its Yongbyon reactor. Under the latest accord, North Korea will allow nuclear experts to take samples and conduct forensic tests at all its declared nuclear facilities and undeclared sites, the State Department said. The North will also allow inspectors to verify its denials about transfers of nuclear technology and an alleged uranium programme. Analysts say it is not clear the latest agreement will succeed: Several previous deals have broken down due to different interpretations of what was required. Expulsions Washington's announcement came after a visit to Pyongyang last week by US envoy Christopher Hill, and days of talks between the US and its...
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
Eventual my eye. They should've remained on the terror list until they abandoned their program and we could confirm it, period.
I don't blame the Japanese one bit for being ticked off.
WTF is Bush thinking. He has completely lost me now.
From my understanding we are inside and have confirmed the program is stopped.
Upsetting relations with our major Asian ally, Japan, over a stupid “Agreed Framework II” with North Korea is very bad idea.
Didn't I just read the other day that N. Korea wouldn't let IAEA inspectors in? Then the next thing I hear is we withdrew them from our terror list.
I'm wondering if China put pressure on the U.S. to lift the classification, in return for loans to bail out our economy. Just speculation, but anything is possible. Bad move either way.
Maybe we should listen to our allies!
There are at least a few we should listen to...and Japan is certainly one.
Yes, Japan is more closely located to N.Korea and have had its citizens kidnapped and GOD knows what by the paranoid country.
BUT, Japan does little on its own to blunt N. Korea or China.
They pay lip service and bitch and let the U.S. defend it.
Time for Japan to step up to the plate and provide for their own defense. Same for Germany South Korea and so many other countries.
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