US warned of 'imminent' nuclear peril

The Age (Australia) ^ | 7/16/2003 | Shane Green & Louise Dodson

[Concordant_Opposition]

US WARNED OF "IMMINENT" NUCLEAR PERIL

July 16 2003 By Shane Green (Tokyo) & Louise Dodson (Canberra)

Former United States Defence Secretary William Perry has warned that the US and North Korea are drifting towards war, with an "imminent danger" of nuclear explosions in American cities.

His chilling assessment of the communist state's nuclear program came as an increasingly worried China intervened, revealing a push for talks and sending a special envoy to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

Mr Perry, in an interview with the Washington Post, warned that time was running out in the nuclear crisis. "I think we are losing control of the situation," said the Clinton-era defence chief.

He warned that North Korea could soon begin exporting nuclear weapons to terrorists and other adversaries of the US, posing "an imminent danger of nuclear weapons being detonated in American cities".

Referring to reports that North Korea had begun reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods to make weapons-grade plutonium, Mr Perry said: "I have thought for some months that if the North Koreans moved toward processing, then we are on a path toward war."

North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear facility has about 8000 spent fuel rods capable of producing enough plutonium to make between six and 12 nuclear weapons. South Korean intelligence reported last week that reprocessing had begun.

Mr Perry oversaw former US president Bill Clinton's plan for a military strike against the Yongbyon nuclear facility a decade ago. The strike was never carried out after a deal was reached with Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for energy aid.

The current crisis was triggered by North Korea's admission last October that it had a nuclear arms program.

Mr Perry said the US policy on North Korea was in disarray, with President George Bush to blame for an absence of negotiations. "I think he has come to the conclusion that Kim Jong-il is evil and loathsome and it is immoral to negotiate with him," Mr Perry said.

With the crisis deteriorating, it was revealed yesterday that China - a mentor of North Korea - had intervened with a compromise plan for talks.

Washington has insisted on multilateral talks, while North Korea wants only direct talks with the US. Under the Chinese plan, there would be multilateral talks first, with direct talks on the sidelines.

News of the proposal followed a rare visit by Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. China's state Xinhua news agency said the two men had "in-depth discussions on issues of mutual concern" in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.

In Manila, meanwhile, Prime Minister John Mr Howard yesterday dismissed claims that North Korea would target Australia with nuclear weapons.

Mr Howard said North Korea posed no nuclear threat to Australia, and the Government would not be deterred from involvement in an anti-proliferation initiative agreed to in Brisbane last week.

President Bush plans to exert pressure on Pyongyang by intercepting North Korean vessels suspected of carrying components for nuclear weapons or missiles technologies.

Kim Myong-Chol, of the Centre for Korean-American Peace, said on Monday night that if North Korean ships were stopped at sea, its nuclear arsenal could be turned on Australia. "If Australia becomes part of American manipulation against North Korea, North Korea reserve the right to strike back on Australia," Mr Myong-Chol told ABC TV's Lateline.

The Government and Labor both dismissed the claims yesterday, saying North Korea did not have the ability to launch a nuclear strike on Australia even if it wanted to.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Mr Myong-Chol was a self-appointed spokesman with no international standing.

The North Korean embassy in Canberra also said its country had no reason to bomb Australia.

[BikerNYC]

This may lead to a pretty decent sized nuclear war, but the alternative is far worse.

Okay. I'll bite. What's the alternative that's far worse?

[thepainster]

I always thought we should have taken out the North Korean Nuclear processing plant with a few stealth bombers at the height of the Irag war. Then deny, deny, deny.

Everyone was down on Israel when they did the same to Irag in the eighties, but history proved it to be a bold and correct move.

[Poohbah]

There was a difference: Israel made sure that the reactor wasn't going to be hot first.

[Monty22]

And now we have the nk's threating to unleash all sorts of nuke terror on Australia, USA, Japan, and South Korea.

It was a blunder. Why did we go to war there at all? Apparenlty we were in a pre-Vietnam mentality where winning isn't really the objective.

[Poohbah]

Also, I hope we are *not* destroying the Peacekeeper missiles. We only have 50, mirv'd to 10 each.

We're decommissioning the missiles. Yes, we actually abide by arms control agreements we ratify. Gosh, what a concept.

[thepainster]

At this point I'm not sure I really care....

[Monty22]

Constant nuclear blackmail.. Terrorists using them at will all over the world.. That sort of stuff.

[Poohbah]

A lot of NK's really don't give a damn and don't do evil things to America. I'm not in a mood to give all of them bone cancer unless it's absolutely necessary to do so.

[BikerNYC]

That's bad stuff, for sure. But I don't think it is far worse than a decent size nuclear war. I suppose it depends on who you ask.

[Filibuster_60]

It's putting China in a tight spot for sure. Indeed NK acts under the assumption that China's behind them, even when that's not really the case. They can afford to do this because they know that Beijing infinitely prefers a divided Korea with the North destitute and Communist, to a unified Korea ruled from Seoul and most likely allied to the US. Therefore they can get away with actions that clearly jeopardize China's pragmatic interests.

[Monty22]

Well, if history is any guide, China helped them in the first korean war, I'm sure they will in the second. This time it won't be so easy to hide though.

[Poohbah]

Well, if history is any guide, China helped them in the first korean war, I'm sure they will in the second. This time it won't be so easy to hide though.

It was never hidden.

The question is, is China willing to risk a wider nuclear exchange, especially when you consider that the NK's are only likely to hit the ports that import ChiCom goods into America?

Firebombing your customer's receiving warehouse is a pretty stupid way to do business.

[JusPasenThru]

L.A. nuked! Women and minorities hardest hit! Howard Dean says it's Bush's fault for "not breaking the cycle of violence". Hillary proclaims, "Bill would never have let this happen; we were at peace with NK until Bush took over. Sen. Graham calls for an investigation and demands that all CIA activity stops until a "full, thorough and impartial investigation is made to determine just how guilty Bush really is". Sen. Edwards offers to represent all the survivers in a class action suit against the government in which one trillion dollars is demanded (with Edwards keeping only $300 billion for himself). Gray Davis secretly rejoices that attention from his mangling of his state has been diverted by the catastrophy. Sharpton declares that we wouldn't have been nuked by NK if we hadn't wasted so much time and energy going after Saddam, who never had WMD in the first place.

This is all rather depressing, but I think you get the idea.

[thepainster]

I concede your point, no need to harm innocents if possible. How far from the reactor after bombing could you expect to see damaging effects to the population? Would it depend on wind currents and such?

[Poohbah]

I concede your point, no need to harm innocents if possible. How far from the reactor after bombing could you expect to see damaging effects to the population?

Depends on how hot Li'l Kim ran the thing--but it would probably extend from Yongbyong to the eastern coast.

Would it depend on wind currents and such?

Definitely. We'd have to wait for perfect weather--and then hope that there wasn't a freakish shift right afterwards.

[Akira]

This issue worries me 10 times more than Iraq ever did. But I seriously don't think this administration will do a thing before the elections. I don't see the need (or use) in denying anything, it's not like anybody would think Seoul took them out. Do it and stand tall.

This administration doesn't seem willing to do anything that might cost them a single vote for 2004. Bush is spending like a democrat and everything else geopolitically seems to be in sustaining mode. By the time the elections roll around, I think it will be too late to deal with this issue properly. I don't necessarily believe that they've reprocessed many fuel cells just yet, but they sure as hell are working at it.

So do we sacrifice Seoul? Because if we take out the nuke plant, Seoul will get hit hard. Hell, Sosa can use a corked bat and almost hit a baseball from the DMZ to Seoul. They'll also fire at Japan. If we hit them, we'd better him them with just about all we've got. If we ignore this issue now, NK will see that a nuclear weapon goes off on American soul in the next 20 years. Sorry to be a pessimist.

[Akira]

China has to be one of the most short-sighted country in history. Well, behind Iraq.

[Catalonia]

And Daschle would be saddened. Deeply saddened.

[arete]

He warned that North Korea could soon begin exporting nuclear weapons to terrorists and other adversaries

Oh brother, here we go again. Where's Tony Blair?

Richard W.

[Poohbah]

China has to be one of the most short-sighted country in history.

You've just blasphemed Freeper Sinophobe Canon Law #1: The ChiComs, being "inscrutable Orientals," are working on a long-range master plan to defeat America that can only be defeated by building a massive arsenal that risks national bankruptcy.