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| Korea |
| N. Korea Rejects U.S. Nuke Program Offer |
| 2003-10-22 |
| SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea on Tuesday rejected President Bush’s offer of a written pledge not to attack in exchange for the communist nation agreeing to scrap its nuclear weapons program. Is it possible for a surprise meter to read negative numbers? North Korea, in a radio broadcast, stuck to its stance that it would settle for nothing less than a formal nonaggression treaty that would legally bind the United States not to launch a pre-emptive strike against the isolated country. Bush on Monday rejected North Korea’s demand for such a treaty, which would require Senate approval. But he left the door open for some form of written pledge in which the United States, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia would jointly give North Korea assurances that it would not be attacked if it promises to dismantle its nuclear program. Cross our hearts and hope you die! ``It is a laughing matter and is not worth considering,’’ the state North Korean Central Broadcasting Station said in a dispatch monitored by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. Oh well, we tried. Back to engaged apathy. ``We have demanded that the United States drop its hostile policy toward the (North) and sign a bilateral nonaggression treaty with us. We have not demanded some kind of security guarantee.’’ "And we demand a pony!" Bush made his proposal at a summit of 21 Asia-Pacific leaders in Bangkok, Thailand. The summit ended Tuesday with a call for a restart of multinational talks to resolve the North Korean nuclear standoff. Bush’s overture was a subtle yet significant shift in Washington’s approach. The United States had earlier insisted that North Korea created the nuclear crisis and so it must move first to end it. Pyongyang paid no heed and began taking steps that could give the country several more nuclear bombs in addition to the one or two it already is believed to possess. North Korea fired at least one short-range missile off its east coast on Tuesday, rattling the gathering of Pacific Rim leaders and giving urgency to the yearlong nuclear crisis. Oh c’mon! Who’s going to be rattled by a Silkworm test? A delegation of U.S. lawmakers hope to meet with North Korea’s reclusive leader Kim Jong Il and discuss the crisis during a rare visit to Pyongyang next week. Try the grass soup, fellas. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #13 Is it possible for a surprise meter to read negative numbers? Must be, mine's been doing it all week. Not only about the WoT, but also the Democratic Party hopefuls (desperates) for the White House (or any meaningful job, anything will do! I'll even rake leaves!), and most of what Hollywood has spewed. I'm beginning to believe there's a black hole loose somewhere in the region, with all the sucking sounds I keep hearing. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-10-22 2:41:39 PM |
| #12 Why bother with an embargo? If you are shooting anti-ship missiles into your own territorial waters unannounced, only a moron will sail to your country. They have embargoed theirselves. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-10-22 12:24:11 PM |
| #11 Nothing has changed. Bush went to Asia last week. Everyone was a-titter about the NORKS. Bush offered a bone. The NORKS did not bite. Kimmie is against the ropes and making threats, but I have not heard "sea of fire" and other thermal rhetoric. The bottom line is that it is up to the Chinese and the SKors if they want to enable this sick, self-destructive society or they will just let it self crater and maybe people there will have a hope for a decent life. 50 years of this mad hatter society is enough. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-10-22 11:44:26 AM |
| #10 Ominous - They have other prey on their minds... Useful Animals Multiplied in DPRK Pyongyang, October 21 (KCNA) -- Useful animals have been protected and multiplied in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Many stock farms in Pyongyang, North Phyongan and South Hwanghae provinces are breeding a large number of profitable animals such as pheasant and roe deer. Stock farms in provinces, cities and counties set pheasants and roe deer free in mountains and fields during the autumn general mobilization period for land management every year. Recently the North Hwanghae Province released some 10,000 pheasants and North Phyongan Province thousands of pheasants in mountains and fields. The pheasants and roe deer released in North Hwanghae Province over the past 26 years total more than 215,000. The government has taken steps to plant many trees in places good for useful animals to live in and provide conditions favorable for their inhabitation. Great efforts are being directed to a solution to scientific and technical issues arising in breeding and multiplying pheasants and roe deer. |
| Posted by: .com 2003-10-22 11:23:06 AM |
| #9 Elephant? Can we give them a couple white ones? Oh, sorry, Korea not Siam. The treaty the NorKs want has about zero chance of being approved by the Senate. Maybe we should start saying that explicitly. |
| Posted by: Dishman 2003-10-22 11:22:57 AM |
| #8 "And we demand a pony!" As short on food as they are, I figured they would demand an elephant. |
| Posted by: OminousWhatever 2003-10-22 11:06:35 AM |
| #7 I guess Kimmey realizes that this IS NOT the Clinton Administration. If this had been them they (NK) would be building (and exporting) nukes by now. Let them eat grass soup with ants! MMM MMM yuck! |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2003-10-22 10:26:20 AM |
| #6 Bulldog - Boo, hiss! Are we surprised that the the Norks rejected our offer? Kimmie sez: No, we also want Happy Meals, choo-choo trains, and ... |
| Posted by: Spot 2003-10-22 8:58:33 AM |
| #5 Personally, I've lost the thread. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-10-22 8:13:25 AM |
| #4 That's one way to spin it RC |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-10-22 8:09:57 AM |
| #3 Oh c’mon! Who’s going to be rattled by a Silkworm test? Mulberry trees. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-10-22 7:05:39 AM |
| #2 North Korea on Tuesday rejected President Bush’s offer of a written pledge not to attack in exchange for the communist nation agreeing to scrap its nuclear weapons program. Tough shit, then. Time to mobilize the sea interdiction forces. Nothing goes in or out through NK ports. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-10-22 1:18:56 AM |
| #1 several more nuclear bombs in addition to the one or two it already is believed to possess. I'll believe it when I see it. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2003-10-22 12:25:49 AM |