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North Korea Hints It May Test Nukes
North Korea hinted Thursday that it may test a nuclear weapon in what would be the signing of their death warrant a major escalation in the yearlong standoff with the United States and its allies over Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions. The communist state, in comments attributed to a spokesman for its Foreign Ministry, said it would ``open its nuclear deterrent to the public as a physical force.’’ Secretary of State Colin Powell reacted cautiously. ``They have said things like this before,’’ Powell said Thursday in Washington. ``I just don’t know if they mean it.’’
"Marvin, what the hell is this?"
"Mr. Secretary, you know the North Koreans are clinically insane."
Nevertheless, the remarks from Pyongyang were the strongest indication yet that North Korea, already suspected of building more bombs to add to its estimated arsenal of one or two bombs, would test a weapon to prove itself a nuclear power. ``Recently some people of the international community argued whether the DPRK possesses a nuclear deterrent force or not in an attempt to sound out its inmost thought,’’ the spokesman said. ``When an appropriate time comes, the DPRK will take a measure to open its nuclear deterrent to the public as a physical force and then there will be no need to have any more argument.’’
Are they offering to hold a tour?
On Thursday, North Korea said it had ``no alternative but to take measures to maintain and increase its nuclear deterrent force as means for just self-defense.’’ It accused Washington of designating North Korea as a ``target of its pre-emptive nuclear attack,’’ after labeling it part of ``an axis of evil’’ along with Iran and Iraq. The announcement, carried by Pyongyang’s state-run news agency KCNA, increased uncertainly in the political pollyannas and student-thug crowd on the Korean Peninsula. In Pyongyang, North and South Korea ended troubled cabinet-level talks Friday without an agreement on the standoff over the North’s nuclear weapons development, South Korea said. Negotiators in the North Korean capital released a joint statement that included no mention of the North’s nuclear activities, said a South Korean official at the Unification Ministry in Seoul. North Korea has said a resolution on the nuclear dispute depends on the United States, and refused to discuss the matter with the South.
The one can’t talk and the other won’t.
Last week, Powell said he was trying to satisfy North Korean security concerns through a formal, written agreement in which that country’s neighbors would participate.
"Awright Marvin, what do we have to say in the written agreement?"
"Well Mr. Secretary, how about ’Use one of your nuclear weapons and we’ll show you what a sea of fire really is.’"
"That works, Marvin, that works."
Posted by: Steve White 2003-10-17
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=20002