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Korea
US to resume North Korea aid?
2003-02-22
US Secretary of State Colin Powell has indicated that the United States will resume food aid to North Korea. He said he expected to announce the decision during his four-day tour of East Asia to discuss the escalating tensions with both Iraq and North Korea. The announcement will lead to the resumption of US aid supplies to the World Food Programme that ended three months ago.
And in return we get ... ?
The announcement will also coincide with Mr Powell's efforts to encourage Japan, China and South Korea to put pressure on Pyongyang to halt its nuclear weapons programmes.
I hope doing something that dumb is a tactical move to give them time. Tactical moves to gain time have an unfortunate habit of becoming set in concrete, with flimsy reasons behind them and no prospect of removal in front of them...
On Friday, North Korea kept up its recent angry rhetoric, denouncing next month's joint US-South Korean military exercises as a "nuclear test war" and prelude to military attack. The US has repeatedly insisted that the exercises are an annual event, unconnected to the current crisis.
"We do it every year, Kim, check your calendar. February, right after Juche, er, January."
Mr Powell said: "We will be making an announcement soon of an initial tranche and then we will monitor World Food Programme needs, what they ask for, to see what our additional contribution will be as we go through the year," he said. "Before this trip is out, I think I'll be able to say more about food."
I'd prefer he say something about getting the Chinese to step on their idiot client state.
Shipments of US food aid to North Korea were stopped in December last year as Washington did not have congressional authority to spend aid money in 2003. Permission has now been granted.
Omnibus Reconciliation Act was signed last week.
Aid agencies in North Korea have said it is difficult to ensure the food is going where it is most needed. Some foolish leftist looney critics had accused the US of using food as a political tool - suggesting aid was withheld to put pressure on the North Korean government to halt its nuclear programmes. The nuclear standoff between the US and North Korea began late last year when the US accused Pyongyang of continuing its nuclear weapons programme in violation of an international pact.
Wasn't just an accusation.
I never have figured why, if somebody's kicking you in the crotch, you should be expected to feed him. But then, I don't have a sense of humor...
Mr Powell is due in Tokyo on Saturday, Beijing on Sunday and Seoul on Monday where he will attend the inauguration of new South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun on Tuesday. Mr Powell is due meet Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Communist Party chief Hu Jintao during his visit to Beijing. Beijing also differs with Washington over North Korea, which sees China as one of its closest allies. The US wants China to become more involved in urging Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambitions. But China has called for bilateral talks between Pyongyang and Washington, in line with North Korea's wishes.
Clearly they're not ready to step on their idiot client state just yet.
Mr Powell will end his regional tour with Mr Roh's inauguration in Seoul on Tuesday. A US official told Reuters news agency that Washington did not "intend to urge any particular position" on Mr Roh as he needed time to decide his policies. But the outgoing South Korean government is known to favour dialogue rather than sanctions, and Mr Roh warned this week that he was "willing to differ with the United States" if it meant war could be avoided.
Differ all you like. You handle your idiot cousins to the north, and we'll just move our guys out of the way.
Posted by:Steve White

#3  I was rather enjoying their loony rhetoric of the last several weeks. That's gotta be worth something.
Posted by: RW   2003-02-22 12:40:40  

#2  Ya lost me on this one, Colin. Let the Chinese and the South Koreans feed 'em. The North Koreans are not being polite enough for a meal ticket from me.
Posted by: Tom   2003-02-22 12:31:16  

#1  Let the Chinese and their cousins in the South feed 'em. They're the one's with the most on the line here.
Posted by: tu3031   2003-02-22 12:20:56  

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