Posted on 06/22/2010 6:02:26 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The leaders of 20 leading economies will discuss the sinking of a South Korean warship at their summit later this week, the U.S. State Department said Tuesday.
Spokesman Philip Crowley, however, said he was not sure if the leaders either at the G-20 summit or the G-8 economic summit in Canada will produce a joint statement blaming North Korea for the sinking of the Cheonan in the Yellow Sea in March, which killed 46 sailors.
"I think the president will have the opportunity to meet with a range of leaders from the region," Crowley said. "I'm certain that the issue of North Korea and the sinking of the Cheonan will be among those issues discussed, but I can't predict what kind of a statement will come out."
Russia reportedly has expressed opposition to the draft joint statement of G-8 leaders pointing fingers at North Korea for the Cheonan's sinking, claiming a lack of concrete evidence.
Moscow says it will take time to reach its own conclusion.
Russia has sent a team of investigators to South Korea to look into the outcome of the international probe of the incident by a group of investigators from South Korea, the U.S., Australia, Britain and Sweden, which denounced Pyongyang for sending a mini-submarine to torpedo the South Korean naval ship.
North Korea denied responsibility and threatened to wage all-out war if the U.N. Security Council condemns the North with a resolution or a presidential statement.
Crowley reiterated calls on the international community to respond strongly.
(Excerpt) Read more at english.yonhapnews.co.kr ...
Ping
OH NO!!! God NO!! Not a rebuke by the G20!!!! NOOOOOOOOO!!
What- do they dispute it's DPRK provenance? They practically have Kim Jong-Il's signature on the recovered remains. There isn't any question of who did it at this point.
This must be one of those diplomatic maneuvering situations where outrageous things are being said in public, and other things are going on outside of the public eye. Foreign relations are often a venue where taking things that are said at face value puts one at a serious disadvantage.
Whoa Dude! Like a rebuke! Harsh!
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