Posted on 10/17/2002 3:11:08 PM PDT by Sweet_Sunflower29
President Bush (news - web sites) believes North Korea (news - web sites)'s admission that it has a nuclear weapons program is "troubling" but wants a diplomatic solution and views the situation as different from Iraq's alleged pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, the White House said on Thursday.
"This is a serious violation of the Agreed Framework and the Nonproliferation Treaty. The president believes this is troubling, sobering news," McClellan told reporters aboard Air Force One as Bush flew to Atlanta.
The United States on Wednesday said North Korea, confronted with U.S. evidence, had acknowledged it was operating a secret nuclear weapons program in violation of the 1994 Agreed Framework under which it agreed to freeze its nuclear program.
The revelation opened up the possibility of a nuclear crisis in Asia as the United States braces for possible war against Iraq, which it also accuses of developing chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
U.S. officials said they viewed North Korea differently from Iraq, which Bush has threatened with military action if President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) fails to abandon his weapons programs.
"We are seeking a peaceful resolution. This is best addressed through diplomatic channels at this point," McClellan said.
Asked how the two situations differed, he said: "Iraq is an aggressive invader that has launched military attacks on neighboring nations recently ... Iraq has also demonstrated a willingness to use weapons of mass destruction."
"These are different regions, different circumstances." he added. "Saddam Hussein is a homicidal dictator who is addicted to weapons of mass destruction."
Another senior Bush administration official told Reuters: "These regimes may share some characteristics, but Iraq is in a class by itself."
The spokesman said the United States had no immediate plans for further talks with North Korea, but would consult Congress and allies in the region. Bush also plans to discuss the issue with Chinese President Jiang Zemin (news - web sites) when they meet next week at Bush's central Texas ranch.
The Agreed Framework was brokered by Washington after the Korean peninsula, divided since the 1950-53 war that ended in a truce -- not a treaty -- faced a crisis in the early 1990s when it was determined the North had produced one or two nuclear weapons. Some 37,000 U.S. troops are stationed in the South.
Under the 1994 accord, Pyongyang promised to freeze its nuclear program. In return, Washington would provide the North with two light-water nuclear reactors for power generation, which are harder to divert to weapons material production than the North's Soviet-era models.
Thank You for a desciptive and eloquent sentence.
The urge to "make the world a better place" will destroy us all.
We Sold Saddam Nukes
That may happen . . .
I've heard it said, "If you wanna know who we'll be fighting tommorow, just look at who who we're arming today!"
Granted, we aren't or haven't been arming North Korea in the traditional sense, but we have been helping them with their nuclear power program. Clinton Ok'd aid for North Korea's Nuclear Power program in 1994 (1994 Geneva Agreed Framework) which was suspended (as far as I know) until April 2002 when it was reactivated by Presidential Determination No. 2002-12, April 1, 2002 signed by President Bush. PD 2002-12 Ok'd the transfer of $95 million to North Korea and waived compliance requirements (or at least that's how it reads).
Presidential Determination No. 2002-12, April 1, 2002
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/04/20020402-13.html
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