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| Korea |
| N Korea lifts threat to quit N-arms talks |
| 2003-09-02 |
| Think China had a little talk with Kimmie? Possibly a "hiccup" in oil pipeline delivery? North Korea yesterday retreated from a threat to withdraw from dialogue about its nuclear weapons programme, saying it remained committed to the diplomatic process. The comments revived hopes that a second six-party conference will follow last week’s talks in Beijing between the US, the Koreas, China, Japan and Russia. On Saturday, Pyongyang had declared the talks a failure, saying that it was not interested in more. But the communist state’s official mouthpiece struck a more positive tone yesterday - underlining the unpredictability of North Korea’s behaviour and the difficulty of interpreting its rhetoric. "There is no change in our firm will to resolve the nuclear dispute between [North Korea] and the US, peacefully through dialogue," Pyongyang’s state news agency said. "Apparently our bluff did not cause the expected panic" Diplomats have portrayed the first round of six-way talks as a mixed success, relieved that they did not break down but frustrated by the failure of North Korea and the US to narrow their differences. North Korea sought a long list of concessions from the US in exchange for scrapping its nuclear programme. But Washington - which believes North Korea possesses one or two nuclear bombs, with more under development - said it would not grant rewards until Pyongyang disarms. However without help from abroad, North Korea’s economic situation is unsustainable. Yesterday human rights activists seeking to publicise the plight of the 22m poverty-stricken people under Kim Jong-il’s rule appealed for four North Korean refugees, who arrived in Bangkok this week, to be given asylum in the US. The four - all wearing dark glasses to conceal their identities during a Bangkok press conference - said they had fled the North three to five years ago, and had since lived underground in China. disguised like malnourished asian "Blues Brothers" But they recently made the arduous trip across China to Thailand - a journey that takes at least three weeks - searching for what one refugee described as "a land of freedom of faith". Norbert Vollersten, a German doctor, wants to precipitate the collapse of the North Korean regime by triggering a mass exodus of refugees. He urged the US embassy "to send a car to pick them up to bring them, somehow to safe asylum in the United States". In the last two years, a stream of North Koreans has made the trip to Thailand, where the South Korean embassy has received them and quietly removed them to Seoul. Dr Vollersten admitted the refugees’ public appearance could "jeopardise the silent approach" to the plight of North Koreans who make it to Thailand. It will upset Thaksin Shinawatra, the Thai prime minister, who has shown little tolerance for foreign dissidents expressing their political views on Thai soil. But Dr Vollersten says North Korea’s citizens must have a safe haven so they can flee their suffering. How about a liberated Pyongyang? Yoon Young-kwan, South Korea’s foreign minister, was due in Washington yesterday, the first visit of what is expected to be a flurry of shuttle-diplomacy to assess the outcome of the Beijing talks and prepare for a second round. |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #6 Sobody give the good doctor a blanket party and make him understand that his personnal effort to destabilize a psychotic new member of the nuclear club is not appreciated. A shotgun enema may be necessary. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-9-2 9:58:05 PM |
| #5 I don't think anyone knows whether there's a unified Chinese-North Korea policy ... there's the hardliners who support it no matter what, those who want to use North Korea against the US, those who're still nationalist (kinda hardline) but worry about North Korea turning on China/it screwing over China by involving the US, and those who just don't like it ... Anyone figure out which school of thought Jiang Zemin and his puppet Hu Jintao belong to? |
| Posted by: Lu Baihu 2003-9-2 5:58:02 PM |
| #4 It's not the Blues Bros. - everybody in China wears that same baggy black suit. Hey, it's an improvement over that old olive-drab Mao suit!... |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-9-2 5:39:11 PM |
| #3 "Never mind," said KCNA spokesperson Emily Litella. |
| Posted by: snellenr 2003-9-2 3:30:50 PM |
| #2 He urged the US embassy "to send a car to pick them up to bring them, somehow to safe asylum in the United States". I hope he realizes there's no land route between Korea and the US. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-9-2 3:14:38 PM |
| #1 But the communist state’s official mouthpiece struck a more positive tone yesterday - underlining the unpredictability of North Korea’s behaviour and the difficulty of interpreting its rhetoric. I would say that North Korea's behaviour and its rhetoric are quite easy and straightforward to interpret these days. No problem at all. They are on the ropes and the only thing keeping their Living Dead™ collective governmental asses alive is China. What say thee, China? Whither goest thou from here? |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-9-2 2:49:05 PM |