North Korea Admits Nuclear Weapons Program

North Korea Running Nuclear Weapons Program, U.S. Says
By REUTERS

WASHINGTON, Oct 15 - In a stunning development that opens up the possibility of a new crisis in Asia, North Korea, confronted with U.S. "evidence," has acknowledged it is operating a secret nuclear weapons program in violation of a 1994 agreement, senior U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

One official told Reuters that the Bush administration believed North Korea's activities had "effectively nullified the 1994 Agreed Framework," a deal under which the reclusive Communist state promised to freeze its nuclear arms program.

But the officials said the administration was consulting with Congress and allies and had made no decision on the next steps in its relations with North Korea, which has made clear it wants more cooperation with the international community.

President George W. Bush and his administration entered office far more skeptical of Pyongyang than their predecessors in President Bill Clinton's administration.

Bush has included North Korea with Iran and Iraq in what he termed an "axis of evil" of states developing weapons of mass destruction and backing international terrorism.

But while some hard-liners on Bush's team have long looked for ways to scuttle the 1994 accord, analysts said he may be forced to find a way to keep talking to Pyongyang.

Allies Japan and South Korea have been much more willing to work with North Korea.

U.S. officials said that on a recent trip to Pyongyang, Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly presented the North Koreans with documentation about the nuclear activities.

At first the North Koreans balked but eventually "they acknowledged they had a secret nuclear weapons program involving enriched uranium," one official said.

"By acknowledging that, the agreed framework was essentially nullified," he said.

Officials said they could not provide much detail without compromising intelligence sources and methods but once said, "Clearly it's a program that would have provided material that could have been used in nuclear weapons."

He doesn't realize that there is no way that N. Korea can challenge us in a nuclear exchange, Nor does Iran or Iraq. It's just that N. Korea and Iran understand they can't win and Iraq can't. Not to mention that Iran and N. Korea doesn't want to be included in the boundries of todays Resolution

I could be wrong, but knowing Bush and company, they wouldn't reveal their hand and what their planning or strategy is. They have probably been considerig NK all along. It was the dems who wanted to debate Iraq. I still say this President is sly like a fox.

I agree .. something is up

It might help you let off steam, but the only thing the giant blue font does for the rest of us is make it hard to read what you said.

(Rhetorical ? following)Israel had the UN's blessing by resolution to 'dismantle' Saddam Insane's nuclear weapons program in the early 80's, right?

We can either wait for the evil actors in the world to slay us, or we can slay them.

Note to all the anti-American, pill popping, bong bowling, self-centered earth worshippers in this country:

There's no more middle ground left to sit on our cushy patooties and eat Dorito's, living for the next green earth parade, acting as if we're on a permanent 'peace holiday'. Anyone that thinks the world has a concept of freedom like America does and would rather go on pretending the world is kumbaya and Americans are mean needs to grow up.

It's time to lead, follow - or get the he** out of the way.

I have always been amazed that people buy into the line that Clinton is "smart" but just has "issues".

Yeah, me too. I judge him by the old standard "first rate people hire first rate people while second rate people hire third rate people". Obviously the morons that he hired were third rate, so that makes him second rate at best.

There have been some threads in the past on the general lack of intelligence of liberals. I suppose if your constituency is not too bright, then you can bull$#!+ them into thinking you are bright, even when you're not. I certainly never saw anything Clinton said or did that indicated any significant intelligence, except in a con-man sort of way.

"There's no more middle ground left to sit on our cushy patooties and eat Dorito's, living for the next green earth parade, acting as if we're on a permanent 'peace holiday'. Anyone that thinks the world has a concept of freedom like America does and would rather go on pretending the world is kumbaya and Americans are mean needs to grow up.

It's time to lead, follow - or get the he** out of the way."

KEEP REPEATING IT MY FRIEND!, We can't expect the limp wristed invertebrate liberals in the press to say it.

North Korea has admitted to the United States that they have a secret nuclear weapons program.

Are they trying to call our bluff? Their idea in admitting this may be that, once it's public, if we do nothing about it, it becomes a fait accompli.

Hmmm. I was wondering why there have been 2 missile tests out of Vandenberg back to back. The one in Sept. was for testing/tuning up the guidance system and the the one the other day was a missle defense test. Just thinking out loud mind you.

It's not like N. Korea to just fold .. it's not their style

Something is up ... I just wish I could read Bush's mind

Just thinking out loud mind you

It's ok .. thinking out loud is good

Haven't we been doing a lot of military excercises in the Pacific lately also??

analysts said he may be forced to find a way to keep talking to Pyongyang

Which Clinton era "analysts" were these???

Remember Israel and the unfinished Iraqi reactor???

This is actually a job that cruise missiles, with proper warheads, could deal with nicely (unlike the camel's butts).

Why, one Carrier group and a couple of submarines, and there's no telling what you might be able to accomplish.

There is whole lot more to this than meets the eye. LOTS more.

I can share my insights if you would like.

This Admin is very sly. The fox ain't got nothing on these guys. Its masterful.

You're correct.... N. Korea will not fold, But they understand when it's time to come clean and not be the focus of GWB. just look at where we were on the Iraq situation just 18 months ago!, They saw first hand how GWB completely turned the U.N. into a quivering pile of incompetant bafoons in just one speech. They can see how GWB can lead the world against nations who have evil intents and desires.

No nations like N. Korea or Iran can possibly think they can launch one of their primative nuclear weapons without a response from the U.S. that would guarantee their complete destruction. The reason why we are seeing this today is that the resolution GWB asked for and got, clearly describes what we consider a threat to our national security and N. Korea and Iran want no part of that line up

US senior officials Bolten and Kelly are on their way, lickety split, to Seoul and Tokyo ASAP to huddle with S. Korean and Japanese leaders. They are probably airborne and over Alaska at this time.

This is extremely serious.

PS these details today, i.e. that this is a highly enriched uranium facility in NK along with other nuke development operations (clear violation of the 1994 NPT deal) were leaked (or revealed) today to Dick Armitage in his office by former Primer Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto of Japan, who is visiting D.C.

Clinton and his team should be called before the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committees at once. They should in fact be arrested.

Not sure if we have been holding naval exercises lately. But these guys will be. Hmm seems like these exercises might be held at the same time we are fighting Iraq. Interesting timing.

Russia, North Korea to hold first joint navy exercises

Agence France-Presse (via ClariNet)

^ Posted on 10/09/2002 10:14 AM Pacific by RCW2001

MOSCOW, Oct 9 (AFP) - Russia said on Wednesday it would hold its first joint naval exercises with North Korea next month, in the latest example of Moscow's efforts to stamp its authority on Northeast Asia and act as a counterweight in Pyongyang's standoff with Washington.

Russian Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Viktor Fyodorov made the announcement in Tokyo, where he was attending a conference of naval commanders from the Asian Pacific region.

"We are supporting good, friendly relations with our close neighbors -- the two Koreas," Fyodorov was quoted as saying.

He said the Russian navy would make port calls to both South and North Korea, and conduct joint military exercises with each side.

"This is our plan, and we are preparing for these exercises very seriously, " he added, without disclosing further details.

The admiral pointed out that the Russian navy carried out regular joint exercises with the navies of the United States and China.

Russia and North Korea have never before held joint ground or naval military exercises, according to Russian military officials contacted by AFP.

Relations between Moscow and Pyongyang collapsed following the fall of the Soviet Union, when Russia turned away from its Stalinist ally in favor of establishing warmer relations with the economically powerful South.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin has proved to be a key interlocutor for North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-Il, meeting him twice in just over a year.

Russia has also claimed a central role in trying to restore peace dialogue between the two Koreas as well as mending Pyongyang's faltering relations with Washington.

The naval exercises "are simply to demonstrate that Russia has good relations with North Korea, and should be regarded as the bridge between Pyongyang and Washington and North Korea and the outside world," commented Viktor Kremenyuk, deputy director of the USA-Canada Institute.

Kim's latest visit to Russia in August gave rise to speculation that in addition to strengthening the North Korean economy, Kim is seeking to better his hand diplomatically after seeing his country branded by the United States as part of an international "axis of evil."

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov last month insisted that Moscow would maintain its military-technical cooperation with Iran and North Korea -- which along with Iraq form an "axis of evil" according to Washington -- in line with its economic interests and its commitment to non-proliferation.

"Our cooperation with North Korea depends only on that country's economic possibilities," he said.

In the military-technical sphere this currently amounted to repair and modernisation of Soviet-era military equipment, Ivanov noted. North Korea has requested new tanks, fighter jets, warships and S-300 ground-to-air missiles but does not have the money to pay.

I can share my insights if you would like

We're waiting. It might explain the smiles and quiet assurance in the Bush team today. Another brilliant stroke in having Sharon here on the day he signs the resolution. Could that be his three day warning something's about to happen?

AP Update -

U.S. Source: N. Korea Says Has Nukes

Yahoo News ^ | 10/16/02 | George Gedda - AP

Posted on 10/16/2002 6:53 PM Pacific by NormsRevenge

U.S. Source: N. Korea Says Has Nukes

Wed Oct 16, 7:51 PM ET

By GEORGE GEDDA, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - North Korea (news - web sites) has told the United States it has a secret nuclear weapons program in violation of an agreement signed with the Clinton administration, a senior administration official said Wednesday night.

North Korea also told U.S. diplomats it no longer beholden to the anti-nuclear agreement, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The disclosure, which stunned senior administration officials, is certain to chill U.S.-North Korean relations. President Bush (news - web sites) had labeled the country part of the "axis of evil" — along with Iraq and Iran — but hopes were raised that the reclusive nation wanted to build international ties when Bush sent Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly to Pyongyang for security talks.

Kelly visited North Korea on Oct. 3-5 and demanded that the communist state address global concerns about its nuclear and other weapons programs.

In response, the Pyongyang government accused Bush's special envoy of making "threatening remarks." The United States refused all comment on the dicussions,

Under a 1994 agreement with the United States, North Korea promised to give up its nuclear weapons program, and it promised to allow inspections to verify that it did not have the material needed to construct such weapons.

But it has yet to allow the inspections, drawing criticism from the Bush administration.

The source said Kelly also raised with North Korea evidence that North Korea may have a uranimum-enrichment program. The program, which the United States believes would only be used to develop a nuclear bomb, began under the Clinton administration, according to the official.

Surprisingly, North Korea confirmed the allegation.

The administration has not decided how to respond. "We're going to keep talking," the official said.

After months of tension with South Korea (news - web sites), the North resumed high-level talks in August that restarted stalled reconciliation efforts on the Korean peninsula — divided by the most heavily armed border in the world.

The Koreas were divided after World War II and remained that way at the end of the inconclusive Korean War from 1950-53. About 37,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against the North.

Addition, Bolten and Kelly also heading to Beijing. So, conferring with Japan, Korea (Free Korea) and PRC in the next 2-3 days. This is big.