North Korea–The North will have to build trust by fulfilling all its pledges before that issue would be discussed, said Sasae, who is director of the Asia and Oceania Bureau at Japan’s Foreign Ministry.
North Korea has also refused to totally disarm without getting concessions along the way, while Washington has said it wants to see the weapons programs totally dismantled before granting rewards. The statement, however, says the sides agreed to take steps to implement the agreement “in a phased manner in line with the principle of ‘commitment for commitment, action for action.’ ”
The other countries at the talks said they were willing give energy assistance to the North, including a South Korean plan to deliver electricity across the heavily armed border dividing the peninsula.
“This is the most important result since the six-party talks started more than two years ago,” said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, Beijing’s envoy.
North Korea was promised two light-water reactors under a 1994 deal with Washington to abandon its nuclear weapons. That agreement fell apart in late 2002 with the outbreak of the latest nuclear crisis, when U.S. officials said North Korea admitted having a secret uranium enrichment program.
Now if North Korea is lying, they don’t get their dessert before they eat their dinner. And they are not just lying to the Great Satan, but Japan, China, Russia, South Korea… The countries that they “need to be protected” from.
This is a major win for US Foreign policy and for the safety of the world as a whole. North Korea sells their technology for weapons abroad and has sold information and equipment to several different groups and countries with terror ties. North Korea has basically thumbed their noses at the UN and the US since well before 1994. The test is whether this agreement lasts unlike the 1994 agreement that lacked teeth and gave concessions without any checks or requirements.
In several respects, our foreign policy towards Iraq and Afghanistan has encouraged Libya and North Korea to come back to the table. The view that we are run by a reckless cowboy who doesn’t play the UN bribe game and ignore problems intimidates these fringe nations. Unfortunately, it is not working as well as hoped with Iran.
Does “W” win the North Korea-Bilateral Talks debate with Kerry now?
From the 2004 Debates–In a televised debate ahead of November elections, Mr Bush defended his six-nation talks approach while Mr Kerry backed bilateral talks with the North.
…
Analysts believe Pyongyang is waiting to see who is the next US president before it makes its next move.
“I want bilateral talks which put all of the issues, from the armistice of 1952, the economic issues, the human rights issues, the artillery disposal issues, the DMZ issues and the nuclear issues on the table,” said Mr Kerry.
Mr Bush responded: “I can’t tell you how big a mistake I think that is to have bilateral talks with North Korea. That’s precisely what Kim Jong-il wants.”
He argued that face to face talks between the US and North Korea would “unravel” the current framework, which brings pressure on Pyongyang from its traditional ally China, in addition to Japan, Russia, and South Korea, as well as the US.
“If Kim Jong-il decides not to honour an agreement, he’s not only doing an injustice to America, he would be doing injustice to China as well. And I think this will work,” said Mr Bush.
The current administration believes the bilateral approach taken by former President Bill Clinton gave too much to Pyongyang in exchange for too little.
But Mr Kerry argued that Mr Bush’s approach was not working, and had given Pyongyang the time to build up its nuclear arsenal.
Sorry for those Kerry supporters, but on the foreign policy issue with NK, history proves Bush right. And on the jobs numbers that Kerry loved to tout, history is proving Bush right again. Both of these were very major issues in 2004 that Kerry put much emphasis in. And Bush’s win on North Korea should be noted and hailed as a major victory that makes America Safer by both sides of the aisle. Stay tuned for the expected media and Democratic silence.
18 Comments
Honest Lib,
Enough. Your comments from this thread will be deleted. Please do not comment on this thread and if you cannot respect the warning, I will ask Bill to ban your IP. I am done playing around and wasting my time.
My first time commenting, like your site, Bill.
Now:
This MIGHT be very promising, IF North Korea is serious this time, AND if China does not do a deal with them under the table. I do not think China would actually give them nuclear weapons, but for any type of economic stick to work China’s cooperation is vital due to their shared border.
A step-by-step approach could work, but given the totalitarian nature of North Korea, the US is going to have to insist on no-notice inspections of nuclear activity where and when we please. I am far from confident a totalitarian nation like North Korea CAN be verifiably disarmed (it’s too easy to hide an arsenal) but at least this agreement will not cause us to give something for nothing, which has happened all too many times.
The multi-lateral talks were the only viable solution.
The Chinese, for all their difficulties, do value positive trade ties with the US and Japan.
As much as I welcome this news (and respect Bill’s analysis) lets be careful over gloating regarding the Bush vs. Kerry positions. I, like Austin Bay (http://austinbay.net/blog/?p=588#comments) take this news with a grain of salt.
I have my fingers crossed, but it is not a done deal yet and I really don’t want to be eating crow later on.
As several people noted on A different
thread:
Ronald Reagan’s “Trust but VERIFY” is
the gold standard here.
It is POSSIBLE (although I am extremely suspicious of the dorky Norks) that No.
2 of the Axis of Evil countries will not
kill anyone outside of their their own
county soon! Well, we can at least hope
that and VERIFY all NK statements &
actions!
Now for No. 3… Iran. Praise God that
at least No Demon will have anything to
do with giving nuclear secrets to Iran,
or be able to stop progress in bringing
that evil cesspool to justice for at
least 3 more years.
We may be BEGINNING to overcome the evils
of Carter and Clinton with rspect to North
Korea. As for China and what the Clinton
follies gave them, Well, we will see!
Justin,
Did we miss something? The way I read #1, H.Lib made an inappropriate comment, bringing a deletion and your warning. Or did I miss something?
Oh. My bad. Just read the last thread. THAT was really ugly.
I also recall previous many preferred military action against North Korea as a first step before taking on Saddam. I belive Saddam & Quadaffi would have had time to high five an “Oil for Nukes” trade game with NK in that scenario. Uday & Qusay would still be playing their own slaughter games as well I might add.
The bulk of the people are being starved in North Korea as we speak and have been for years.
I do not trust North Korea an inch.
I think I can safely assume that I’m the only one on this board who actually saw the sick, demented, murderous Kim Ir Sen (the father of the sick, demented, murderous Kim Yong Il), in person. It was 198x something, and he was visiting his good buddy Ceausescu. I was forced into a “popular” meeting, and stayed 5 meters from the passing car containing both dictators. NOT a pretty sight.
The personality cult was disgusting, and what is happening now in NK should be a major issue for all human rights organizations. They are lying, and all this diplomatic talks is a waste of time.
Hey, but he’s US enemy, so it’s OK… /reuters off
Rookie,
I can understand a little of what you experienced in Romania, I think. (Well, maybe not)! Anyway, I know of NO good solutions for North Korea except to PRAY that this time, the agreement works. If someone else has a better idea, I would like to read it. (Ultimately, I suspect someone will have to use the Ceausescu solution for the insane Kim Jong idiot)!
Heavens, those North Koran dorks cannot even keep one position for 24 hours! I will bet that one or more of them shot someone else on this.
Sheesh!
The Dorky Norks are Totally insane fools!
I believe North Korea is being unfairly bullied, given that 4-5 countries at once have ganged up on it. This is not fair by any stretch of the imagination.
Let’s see America pick on someone in a fair fightm rather that a 5 on 1 against a small country.
Justin apparently does not approve of any opinion other than those that unfailingly tote the line.
An article about how North Korea is demanding a reactor :
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050920/ap_on_re_as/nkorea_reactor
leaddog2,
How about quiting all talks with NK and let the Chinese to deal to them, if they want. No food for oil, no food for nukes.
Otherwise we will encourage any murderous dictator to start a WMD program, just to gain some extra economic advantages.
I did not liked either Lybia outcome, this Muammar Gaddafy (what do you know? another permanent guest of Ceausescu, beside Arafish, Khomeini, etc, etc) basically supported terror and escaped unpunished.
Diplomacy does not work with NK, Iran, for decades now. They just buy time to prepare themselves, so they can blackmail everyone more succesfully…
US should cut any talks with this countries, support the resistance (if any), deny exporting of weapons from those country, start a media campaign (…) to reveal the current and past atrocities these regimes inflicted upon their own people. My 2 cents.
Rookie,
The leverage with the US may be with China. If they do not cut off North Korean aid, then we should cut off all Chinese imports. We can pay back the bonds they hold from gold sales, etc. etc. etc.
As for Iran, Germany and France must choose! We should PERMANENTLY cut off all French trade with the U.S. & plan to do the same with Germany.
France will collapse in a short time and that would be no economic loss for anyone. Germany would take a few years to reform. Although it is NOT PROVEN that Germany and France are trading with North Korea, it is a definite fact that Iran cannot build nuclear reactors, etc. without the Russians, French and Germans. So, why reward our enemies with trade. They need us. We DO NOT need them!
Bar all French imports and all French people from entering the U.S. PERMANENTLY. Kick the French out of NATO and all organizations like the World Bank. We would soon see a large number of the world’s trouble spots become calmer because the French troublemakers are being reined in or stopped.
Frane is our enemy. They have been for over 50 years.
a typo… France.
France is worse than North Korea or Iran. They pretend to be friends. That has been a grusome and deadly joke for many decades!
Cutting trade with France would not necessarily hurt them:
Exports – partners:
Germany 15%, Spain 9.4%, UK 9.3%, Italy 9%, Belgium 7.2%, US 6.7% (2004)
Imports:
$419.7 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports – commodities:
machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, chemicals
Imports – partners:
Germany 19.2%, Belgium 9.8%, Italy 8.8%, Spain 7.3%, UK 7%, Netherlands 6.7%, US 5.1% (2004)