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Korea
U.S. security pledge for N. Korea
2003-10-12
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says the U.S. has decided to offer security guarantees to North Korea as part of a deal to end Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program. Such an offer -- to be presented at the next round of six-party talks — would be aimed at giving North Korea a security guarantee in writing while falling short of a fully-fledged treaty, which Pyongyang has demanded. North Korea has repeatedly said it will not give up its weapons program until it has a guarantee the U.S. will not attack.
It wants a non-aggression treaty. Like Ribbentrop and Molotov worked out. Go figure.
Until now the Bush administration has said it would not be blackmailed into any concessions and has demanded Pyongyang act first and dismantle its program. Powell said the administration has been trying to come up with a form of words in writing to meet both North Korean and U.S. conditions.
How about
"The party of the first part agrees not to kick the living crap out of the party of the second part unless the party of the second part does something typically stupid."
I think that should cover it.
"Nothing has been scheduled yet," Powell said of a new round of talks. However, there were reports on Friday that North Korea had called for a new round of six-party talks in December. A Bush administration official said the U.S. decision on the security offer has crystallized in recent weeks through intensive inter-agency discussions following the Beijing talks, and is aimed at encouraging Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program in favor of better relations with the international community.
"Mervin, find a crumb to toss to them."
"Yes, Mr. Secretary."
"The North Koreans made pretty clear they wanted this [the security assurances]," the official said. "They didn’t talk that much about economic assistance. This is the one thing they asked for."
Good. Make sure you don't give them any economic assistance.
He said that the administration is reviewing old language from U.N. agreements and other security assurances the United States has offered to other countries.
Not good news.
Posted by:Ben

#10  I would push the talks out and push them out and then again....
We can take out their military at will. We are not currently paying any protection money to Kim. JDAM's and tomahawks are being assembled. Our navy and Marine Corps are resting. Iraq is getting quieter. It's like a Hunda.
Posted by: Super Hose   2003-10-12 9:49:32 PM  

#9  Tell them we'll only offer this if they accept Jimmy Carter as a hostage.
Posted by: tu3031   2003-10-12 9:00:46 PM  

#8  Are we supposed to protect them from the Chinese? I don't think so, guys. Japan, no problem, likewise the S. Koreans.

But if China invades, you're on your own...
Posted by: mojo   2003-10-12 5:00:49 PM  

#7  Incoming?
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2003-10-12 1:56:55 PM  

#6  "Mervin, find a crumb to toss to them."

That's Marvin, not Mervin! :-)

Marvin's genius will be to find a crumb that isn't even a crumb, and isn't tasty at all. The NKors will howl, just you watch.
Posted by: Steve White   2003-10-12 1:04:40 PM  

#5  6 party talks? I thought the NK's had said that Japan was non grata in the talks since they keep bringing up things like spies and kidnapping of their citizens, etc.?
Posted by: Frank G   2003-10-12 12:45:11 PM  

#4  Security guarantees! Why don't we bring Jimmy Carter back to get the words right. The nonsense spewing out of Pyongyang is no different than the lies they told the Clinton Administration in 1993. Even the most jaded liberal would agree the 1994 Framework was a dismal failure and the reasonwe are in the current mess.

If the Bush administration puts this off with another bogus agreement, then the next errant North Korean missile that lands in ALaska might have something a whole lot more dangerous than dummy warhead.
Posted by: Douglas De Bono   2003-10-12 9:15:09 AM  

#3  U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says the U.S. has decided to offer security guarantees to North Korea as part of a deal to end Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.

They didn't honor their end of the bargain made previously, so what makes Mr. Powell think that they're going to do so this time?

Until now the Bush administration has said it would not be blackmailed into any concessions and has demanded Pyongyang act first and dismantle its program.

And this is the way it should be approahced until NK takes the first steps. No first step, no negotiation. Simple as that.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2003-10-12 5:05:42 AM  

#2  "...the administration has been trying to come up with a form of words..."
What a load - looking for magic words - and waste of time. What snarks is that we're paying striped-pants twinkies serious money to play this stupid game. Sounds like we should contract the reigning Scrabble champ or similar and let a Division or two at State go.

I like something along Fred's language style, only not quite so stiff and formal...
"First, you're losing all yer toys cuz you've been a right little shit. After that, if you don't act like a farking twit, we won' thump ya. If ya do, yer toast. Got it, Twinkie-boy? Now tear down those Madonna posters and clean out the closet. Oh, and turn down the stereo, not everybody's deaf... yet."

Sign here.
Posted by: .com   2003-10-12 3:00:56 AM  

#1  Rope-a-dope strategy is being deployed. IMO, not a Defcon 1 alert...
Posted by: Raj   2003-10-12 1:18:31 AM  

00:00