White House divisions threaten [nuclear] talks, says Clinton aide

Financial Times ^ | 8/28/03 | Andrew Ward

[TastyManatees]

White House divisions threaten talks, says Clinton aide
By Andrew Ward in Seoul
Published: August 28 2003 5:00 | Last Updated: August 28 2003 5:00

Few people can claim to know Kim Jong-il, North Korea's secretive communist dictator, but Wendy Sherman got closer than most.

She met him in Pyongyang three years ago while serving as North Korea specialist in former US president Bill Clinton's administration.

"He was intelligent, he was conversational but it would be overstating it to say he has a sophisticated view of the outside world," says Ms Sherman. "He watches CNN, he surfs the internet. But his view of the world has limits because he hasn't travelled widely."

As an architect of the Clinton administration's policy of engagement with Pyongyang, Ms Sherman is pleased that months of stalemate over North Korea's nuclear weapons have given way to dialogue in this week's talks in Beijing, involving the US, the two Koreas, China, Japan and Russia.

However, she is critical of current US policy and sceptical about the talks leading to a peaceful settlement. The Bush administration has been too slow to engage in dialogue, allowing North Korea to get nearer its goal of becoming a nuclear state, says Ms Sherman. And she claims Washington remains split over policy towards Pyongyang.

"There are some [officials], mostly in the state department, that are committed to dialogue but the most hawkish elements want to bring about collapse of the North Korean regime," she says. With the US refusing to offer inducements for North Korea to disarm, Ms Sherman fears little of substance will emerge from this week's talks, allowing Washington's hawks to declare dialogue a failure.

US hardliners - such as Donald Rumsfeld, defence secretary, and John Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control - are thought to favour regime change through economic collapse. They want to starve Mr Kim's poverty stricken regime of cash by curbing its exports of arms and drugs.

Ms Sherman offers a cautionary tale to those expecting North Korea to buckle: "When Madeleine Albright was secretary of state at the beginning of the second Clinton administration, we had a meeting to discuss our agenda. Everybody in the room thought North Korea would collapse within two years. We were all wrong."

According to Ms Sherman - now in partnership with Ms Albright in a private sector consultancy - the US should seek a deal under which North Korea scraps its nuclear programme in return for security guarantees and international economic help.

Ms Sherman says the only way to test Mr Kim's intentions is to engage in serious negotiations but she accepts that diplomacy can only go so far. Her biggest fear is that Pyongyang might sell nuclear bombs to other rogue states or terrorists. "I hope North Korea understands that should it transfer fissile material across its borders it would be crossing a red line," she says.

[TastyManatees]

"With the US refusing to offer inducements for North Korea to disarm, Ms Sherman fears little of substance will emerge from this week's talks, allowing Washington's hawks to declare dialogue a failure."

This is a big deal, because the North Koreans opened the talks by demanding a mutual non-aggression pact. This allows the communists time to build a sizable nuclear force, while Washington is forced to jump through legal hoops before acting to protect American lives. There is no way the Bush Administration will sign this suicidal agreement, and the minor bureaucrats from the previous administration's state department are launching a p.r. blitz.

Perhaps they would like another round? (On the house, of course.)


Tasty Manatees

[Tai_Chung]

According to Ms Sherman - now in partnership with Ms Albright in a private sector consultancy - the US should seek a deal under which North Korea scraps its nuclear programme in return for security guarantees and international economic help.

The US tried this approach, but North Korea continued to develop nuclear weapons while "international economic help" kept their economy afloat.

North Korea cannot be trusted. Ms. Sherman is a fool to expect a different result.

[pgyanke]

According to Ms Sherman - now in partnership with Ms Albright in a private sector consultancy - the US should seek a deal under which North Korea scraps its nuclear programme in return for security guarantees and international economic help.

The definition of insanity... doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results each time.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Wendy, you're laughable.

[Gringo1]

LOL....and Clintons nuclear policy got us to this point.

[Pukin Dog]

"But his view of the world has limits because he hasn't travelled widely."

This is a good place to stop reading this BS. This is the same silly argument used against Bush during the elections. Those same stupid elitists that caused this problem in the first place.

[Coop]

However, she is critical of current US policy and sceptical about the talks leading to a peaceful settlement. The Bush administration has been too slow to engage in dialogue, allowing North Korea to get nearer its goal of becoming a nuclear state, says Ms Sherman. And she claims Washington remains split over policy towards Pyongyang.

Yeah, ain't it amazin', Wendy? North Korea completely behaved itself for 6 years under the Clinton administration (after 1994 agreement). Then suddenly - bam!! - the regime just fired up its nuclear program after Bush took office. Wow!!

[Uncle George]

Statement by Clinton aise;;;; NUFF SEDD.

[Pagey]

US hardliners...want to starve Mr Kim's poverty stricken regime of cash by curbing its exports of arms and drugs.

This is typical Clinton aide blathering.The allusion being that The USA has created this poverty stricken regime would be offensive ,if it wasn't so blatantly wrong. I just love the people who blame America for everything. As if curbing exports of arms and drugs from N.Korea could possibly be a negative action.She is one whacked out sycophant and if she's working w/ Madeleine 'not-so-bright',we can figure that most anything she says is mindless word drool.