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| Korea |
| N. Korea Says It’s Extracting Plutonium |
| 2003-04-18 |
| EFL North Korea said Friday it was reprocessing more than 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods, which U.S. experts have said will give the communist state enough plutonium to make several atomic bombs. The development raises the stakes in the North's upcoming talks with the United States over Pyongyang's suspected nuclear weapons programs. Those talks could begin in Beijing as soon as next week. "As we have already declared, we are successfully reprocessing more than 8,000 spent fuel rods at the final phase," an unnamed spokesman of Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry said, adding that "interim information" was sent to the United States and "other countries concerned" last month. |
| Posted by:Tom |
| #7 I *hope* that I'm not the only one who hopes that the next time we sit down with the North Koreans and they start slinging the crap, we sling it right back. Either that, or simply say that they've got 8 hours to evacuate everyone within a given radius of the complex and then walk out. We've been talking with these crazy folk for 50 years -- it's time we stopped putting up with it. |
| Posted by: snellenr 2003-04-18 22:24:40 |
| #6 The more I watch the North Koreans, the more I compare them to children with Attachment Disorders. Here they are, banging their spoons, overtipping their plate on the floor, and screaming at the top of their lungs, "Don't you DARE be nice to me!" For some reason known only to Kim, he wants the entire world to loathe and hate him. His venue to achieve this is to do things the world finds distasteful and even a tad dangerous. With each passing day, I believe more strongly that Kim doesn't need a nation, he needs a straight-jacket and a heavy dose of prozac. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-04-18 16:48:41 |
| #5 Fox quotes State Dept staff as saying they aren't sure this is true. The NK's might not be doing it for real, just escalating the spoon-banging on the high-chair. Apparently no hard (sat photos, etc.) intel backs it up yet |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-04-18 15:00:07 |
| #4 The NKORs weren't watching what happened to Saddam. I guess they must think we are bluffing about the two CVBGs and the 24 heavy bombers in Guam. I continue to believe that NKOR is only amenable to a military solution. |
| Posted by: Douglas De Bono 2003-04-18 13:46:34 |
| #3 Negotiations require good will and compromise on both sides. We do not have it here. Kimmie will use the upcoming talks as a means to wear down the parties on the other side of the table. That has been their M.O. during the end and the following years after the Korean war. NK announced the fact that they are reprocessing fuel rods is a threat. If China is serious about lowering regional tensions, they better start playing with the oil pipeline valves right away. Kimmie is tickling the dragon's tail, but this time the dragon is not china. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-04-18 13:13:04 |
| #2 Several years ago, when I first read PJ O'Rourke's argument that there wasn't anything wrong with a certain nation's problems that a tactical nuke couldn't fix, I was appalled. But now I get it. |
| Posted by: FormerLiberal 2003-04-18 12:31:57 |
| #1 Several years ago, when I first read PJ O'Rourke's argument that there wasn't anything wrong with a certain nation's problems that a tactical nuke couldn't fix, I was appalled. But now I get it. |
| Posted by: FormerLiberal 4/18/2003 12:31:57 PM |