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N. Korea Offers to Halt Nuke Facilities
Again? Follow-up and EFL.
North Korea offered Tuesday to refrain from producing nuclear weapons as a ``bold concession’’ to rekindle talks over its arms programs.
Oh. It must be Tuesday...
The move comes as the United States, China, Russia, Japan and the two Koreas amble scramble to arrange a new round of negotiations, with South Korea and Russian saying they are unlikely this month. North Korea has said before it is willing to freeze its ``nuclear activities’’ in exchange for U.S. aid and being taken off Washington’s roster of terrorism sponsoring nations. On Tuesday it specified it was ``set to refrain from testing and production of nuclear weapons and stop even operating (its) nuclear power industry for a peaceful purpose.’’
Must be time for some long-overdue maintenance.
In a commentary carried by the official KCNA news agency, North Korea called the offer ``one more bold concession.’’
What, no juche?
I wonder what Muammar's reform had to do with this...
The United States has said it wants North Korea to verifiably begin dismantling its nuclear weapons programs before it delivers any concessions.
We can wait. You guys ever consider trying the Atkins Diet?
In Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov blamed the delay Monday on disagreements over the wording of a final document for the talks. He said efforts to set up more talks were ``very difficult’’ and that a final document could not be forged because of ``mistrust and increased demands on each other’’ by the United States and North Korea, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.
"could not be forged", heh, our friend Mahmoud can forge anything.
On Tuesday, North Korea said its first-step proposal should be the focus of preparations for new talks. ``If the United States keeps ignoring our efforts and continues to pressurize the DPRK to scrap its nuclear weapons program first while shelving the issue of making a switchover in its policy toward the DPRK, the basis of dialogue will be pretty much as it was in 1994 demolished and a shadow will be cast over lunch the prospects of talks,’’ the North’s official news agency KCNA said in a commentary. KCNA was frisked monitored by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
We’ll think about it over dinner. We’re grilling a few steaks. Each.
With pie for dessert... Mmmmm! Pie!

Posted by: Steve White 2004-01-06
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=23851