You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Korea
N.Korea Said Willing to Halt Nuke Program
2003-08-02
North Korea might consider freezing its nuclear program if multilateral talks go well and it receives assurances from the United States that it will not be attacked, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said late Friday.
The voice of sweet reason from NKor. That means there's going to be another outburst of lunacy in the very near future...
He called for the talks on North Korea's nuclear program to get under way soon. Washington had long pushed for multilateral talks on the international standoff over North Korean's nuclear program. After months of insisting on bilateral talks, the North agreed Thursday to six-way discussions. The secretary-general was asked whether North Korea might freeze its nuclear activities during the talks involving the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, China and Russia. "I'm not sure if there's indication that they will freeze it during these talks," Annan told The Associated Press. "But there has been suggestions that if there is a discussion and agreement and an assurance that their nation is not under threat, they will be prepared to consider freezing it and ... resuming inspection with (the) atomic agency. But I'm not sure that they have given an indication they will do it before the talks. I suspect it will be part of the outcome of the talks."
I'm sure they'll try and get as much in return as possible, too...
Posted by:Fred Pruitt

#10  SDB thinks the Chicoms blinked. Interesting read.

This is the nth time the North Koreans have said this. It's not over till it's over - the sneaky so-and-so's will make like Saddam up until we make clear we're going to send our guys in. But that threat's not even on the table, so we have no leverage. As long as the South Koreans continue their obstructionism, North Korea will find it convenient to dangle carrots they have no intention of handing over.

And the self-importance of the Chinese prevents them from seeing the danger to their interests of a war in North Korea. Mark my words - contrary to what SDB is saying, the Chinese are oblivious to the risk - so convinced are they about their importance in the world economy. (Check out the National Defense University's English translations of Chinese geostrategic views for a window into the smug and arrogant, yet paranoid, minds of Chinese strategists).
Posted by: Zhang Fei   2003-8-3 12:06:58 AM  

#9  SDB thinks the Chicoms blinked. Interesting read.
Posted by: Anonymous   2003-8-2 10:14:29 PM  

#8  I was actually kind of hoping for snow in Hell. Pretty to think that NKor will have a neat solution tied up with 5 little bows, is it not? Kimmie's missing a slew of, ah hell, a whole lot of things (most of them involving sanity and rationale), so I think pretty solutions, recumbent with bows, are about as likely as children successfully playing tiddlywinks with man-hole covers. *sigh*
Posted by: Tadderly   2003-8-2 4:02:56 PM  

#7  ...in other news, it's a bright sunny 10,000 degrees Farhenheit in Hell with no chance of let up in the forseeable future.
Posted by: Paul   2003-8-2 3:21:06 PM  

#6  badanov - "The NK Kommies know the Russians, unlike the Japanese and the US, don't give a fuck about civilian casualties..."
Good point - I have no doubt that Dear Leader saw the Moscow theater assault just as we did. Just a tad heavy-handed, some might say. Vlad, however, gave out medals and such, didn't he? Not exactly a PC response.

Ol' Vladeemeerkat took his sweet time in stepping into the NorK situation... Letting it get "hot" in hopes of gaining a little additional leverage, perhaps?

But badanov's right. We can sit tight giving away nothing until either they cave in, China reigns them in, Russia scares them into getting real - or we or the Russians finally get fed up with the game and decide the time is ripe to level NorK.

Interesting poker game - and the stakes are as high as they get.
Posted by: PD   2003-8-2 10:23:39 AM  

#5  Now that the Russians are planning a preemptive strike, NK is finally feeling the heat. Thanks, Vlad 'the Impaler' Putin.

The NK Kommies know the Russians, unlike the Japanese and the US, don't give a fuck about civilian casualties, and they will steam roller over everything Kim has built.

Maybe someone slipped the NK Moscow ambassador a note asking, "How do you like your gas? Regular or something a little stronger?"
Posted by: badanov   2003-8-2 8:15:42 AM  

#4  North Korea might consider freezing its nuclear program

Did someone promise Kimmi a tour of Graceland?
Posted by: Rafael   2003-8-2 7:43:16 AM  

#3  OK, so its a case of hair spray, a dozen leisure suits and matching elevator shoes, and we have a truce?

I wish I read this in the morning than late at night. Coffee is much easier to clean out of a keyboard than merlot.
Posted by: Jay Leno   2003-8-2 2:54:14 AM  

#2  Freeze? What a load of UN-think. The whole NorK house of cards has to come down, not just swallow a promise from a congenital meglomaniac that maybe he won't add to it. Kofi, go fuck yerself before you negotiate the world into oblivion. Don't you have a luncheon or something to attend?

And I really love this part of the NorK Foreign Policy Playbook™: We will stop doing bad things if you promise not to kick our ass. Sure thing, Dear Leader. And we'll make you another promise: We will keep that promise precisely as long as you keep yours.
Posted by: PD   2003-8-2 2:07:58 AM  

#1  OK, so its a case of hair spray, a dozen leisure suits and matching elevator shoes, and we have a truce?
Posted by: Anonymous   2003-8-2 1:53:38 AM  

00:00