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China-Japan-Koreas

Korean nuclear talks back to stalemate

2005-11-12

North Korea said Friday it would not start dismantling its nuclear weapons programme until the United States lifts sanctions on eight Pyongyang companies, bringing six-way nuclear talks back to stalemate. The unexpected demand came on the last day of a three-day session meant to kick-start negotiations on how to implement a September 19 agreement in which the North committed to disarm in return for energy aid and other benefits. "We have seriously proposed the US should lift financial sanctions on us," Kim Gye-Gwan, North Korea's chief delegate to the six-nation talks, told reporters after negotiations in Beijing ended.

"The financial sanctions violate the (September) joint statement and make it impossible to carry out the commitments to implement the joint statement. We came out for negotiations because the US said it would stop its hostile policy and co-exist with us."

Posted by:Fred

#10 Dealing with North Korea is an exercise in patience.

It is increasingly difficult to summon any patience while North Korea proliferates nuclear technology to countries whose primary target will be America and the West. I fear that such patience may well prove our undoing.

This, more than any other reason, is why I seek some sort of substantive action with respect to China and North Korea. Unfettered, North Korea's cash flow crisis could easily result in the sale of weapons grade nuclear material or even a packaged device to hostile nations or terrorist organizations. It is only the absence of a successful atomic weapon test by North Korea that permits any breathing room in this situation.

That China isn't being spanked more resoundingly for their complicity in this ghastly freakshow merely indicates how thoroughly they have bought off both sides of the aisle in America and elsewhere.

Posted by: Zenster 2005-11-12 17:36

#9 this particular shoe = Japan taking military steps to rearm, nukes and all. Chinese leaders will look back on today as "the good old days"

Posted by: Frank G 2005-11-12 17:12

#8 Zen, I understand the frustration.

Dealing with North Korea is an exercise in patience. We do NOT want a war there. What we want is for China to curb the NKor's behavior. The only way to do that is to make clear to the Chinese that 1) we will NOT concede and negotiate with the NKors, and 2) if forced to accept that the NKors can keep nuclear weapons, that then means that our allies (Japan and Taiwan) will find the need for the same. Just as the Chinese refused to curb the NKors, we won't curb the Japanese and Taiwanese.

None of that is in China's best interests. But the Chinese play a patient game, looking to wear us down and slip something past a compliant (e.g., Clinton) administration. Bush refuses to blink, and I suspect the Chinese strategy right now is to do nothing until 2009. So now Bush has to find a way to make this particular shoe pinch the Chinese. But we absolutely cannot start a war.

Patience.

Posted by: Steve White 2005-11-12 16:42

#7 lotp and Steve White, I concede that both of your are quite right on this. My above post is a reflection of how frustrated I am with China's duplicity vis North Korea. They have actively bred up this cesspit of tyranny and then farcically stand by wringing their hands as if they can do nothing about it. The mention of poisoning food aid is a half-jesting wish to see all the corrupt officials who routinely misappropriate such direly needed relief die at the hands of their own corruption.

China has yet to pay the piper for so many of its intentional missteps on the world's economic and political dance floor. The West cheerfully continues to fatten this elephant in the henhouse despite being confronted with billions of dollars being spent on containing North Korea.

This sort of self-inflicted crisis is simply unacceptable. When are any of our politicians finally going to summon enough courage to rip the mask off of this vile charade and lay North Korea squarely at the foot of communist China?

Posted by: Zenster 2005-11-12 16:34

#6 Zen, your plan takes us to an immediate war which we don't want. The devestation would be enormous. Seoul alone would take a million civilian casualties in the first three days.

Nope, nope, we don't want that.

And frankly, poisoning food aid is beyond the pale. If you seriously believe in doing that, you're a nutter.

We want the NKors to implode quietly. We want an ambitious NKor general to start a new dynasty. We want the Chinese to step up and curb their dog. We don't want a war.

Posted by: Steve White 2005-11-12 11:15

#5 Any attempt to publicly pressure the Chinese over land-based aid will backfire greatly, for several reasons.

First, it will be a PR disaster if the result is even greater malnutrition and starvation in North Korea, handing more power to those in South Korea who dislike the US.

Second, you would be shutting down the main channel for news of the outside world. Even visiting Chinese officials give a glimpse of how things are Outside. Even moreso do the Christians - mostly ethnic Chinese and Korean - who are risking their lives to smuggle food, but also radios etc. to North Koreans.

Sometimes being a hardass doesn't really get the job done.

Posted by: lotp 2005-11-12 07:11

#4 Anything else?

Yes:

1) A progressive blockade and military interdiction of all maritime and aviation traffic in or out of North Korea.

2) Intensive monitoring with publication of any and all land-based aid delivered by China.

3) Immediate designation of all North Korean airspace as a testing range for kinetic and laser based anti-missile weapons.

4) Covert poisoning of all dual-use foreign based food or medical aid, including any shipments of Hennessy Cognac.

5) The phased reciprocal equipping of South Korea, Taiwan and Japan with nuclear weapons in a fashion commensurate with China's continued support for North Korea.

6) Covert efforts to maximize the flood of desperately famished North Korean refugees into China with detailed coverage of any repatriating deportations involving malnutrined women and children.

Did I leave anything out? Please call in all suggestions to 1.800.FUK.NORK

Posted by: Zenster 2005-11-12 01:29

#3 "The financial sanctions violate the (September) joint statement...

Well. These assholes are ones to be complaining about violations....

Any further attempts at talks are absolutely useless. Forget them, and formulate plans accordingly. Missile defense? Check. Nuclear weapons and delivery systems for Japan? Check. Anything else?

Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-11-12 00:46

#2 Dubya has called the Norkies and Chicoms bluff - iff the Norks truly wish to display alleged NK-sepcific State- and NKCP "sovereignty" and "independence" from Beijing, China will NOT interfere in NK's nuke proliferation, i.e. NK's dedication to the production of enough nukes to de facto threaten China and China's plans for Asian hegemony, espec iff CHINA is going to continue PC supporting NK's claims of sovereignty and independ vv itself and the USA-Japan. NK's dev of nukes also justifies Japan's remilitarization and nuclearization for mil purposes. THE COMMIES-LEFTIES HAVE GOTTEN THEMSELVES INTO A BIG BIG DIPLOMATIC, IDEO AND MEDIA TRAP - no matter what happens now, nor what the Norkies or Commies say to the contrary, the world will realize the truth. I'M LOVING IT TO NO END.

Posted by: JosephMendiola 2005-11-12 00:36

#1 Didn't see that one coming. Nope, not for a minute.

Time to place responsibility for all further progress squarely in the lap of China. Make continued trade, tourism and participation in the WTO contingent upon their obtaining measurable results. The communist Mandarins bred up this devil, now it's time for them to waltz with their favorite partner.

Posted by: Zenster 2005-11-12 00:18

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