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| Africa: West |
| Nigeria Makes Missile Deal With N. Korea |
| 2004-01-28 |
| North Korea has agreed to share missile technology with Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and a regional military giant, the government announced Wednesday. Well, isn’t that special. Officials gave no details of Tuesday’s deal, including whether Nigeria would receive assembled missiles or just technology to make them. Nigeria said any missile help would be used for "peacekeeping" and to protect its territory. I guess it depends on your definition of "peacekeeping". Vice President Atiku Abubakar agreed to the "program of cooperation that includes missile technology" with Yang Hyong Sop, the visiting vice president of the North Korean presidium, Abubakar spokesman Onukaba Ojo, told The Associated Press. The North Korean was to be in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, through Saturday. Weapons sales are a major revenue source for financially strapped North Korea. That and sales of "White Slag". In 2003, the United States imposed sanctions on a North Korean company, Changgwang Sinyong Corp., for selling missiles to Pakistan. A shipment of North Korean Scud missiles bound for Yemen was briefly stopped in December in the Arabian Sea. Long sea trip to Nigeria, lots of things could happen. A statement issued by Abubakar’s office said the West African nation’s "government would continue to cooperate with the Korean government in the defense sector, an area in which both Nigeria and North Korea had cooperated over the years." Yes, and don’t think we haven’t noticed. Nigeria hoped the United States and other Western nations opposed to North Korean nuclear and weapons proliferation would respect the deal, Ojo said. "We are a sovereign nation. We should be able to cooperate with any nation we wish to cooperate with as long as it is in the best interests of Nigeria," Ojo added, stressing the West African government "is not shopping around for nuclear technology or weapons of mass destruction. Whatever we are discussing with them is only to enhance the capability of our military for peacekeeping and to protect Nigeria’s territorial integrity," Ojo added. "Cameroon’s been making faces at us. And we don’t trust Mexico either." Nigeria, with 126 million people, is a political and military heavyweight on the continent and a frequent recipient of U.S. military and law enforcement assistance. Which needs to be looked into. Its military supplies much of the manpower of regional peace missions. North Korean scuds being just the thing to keep the peace. It is Africa, peace agreements usually mean fighting will resume after nap time. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #14 If you stop and think about this, does the Scud make sense as a delivery vehicle for conventional explosive warheads? Especially for a military probably as pressed for cash as Nigeria's? So this brings up the question, are they planning to put some less conventional warheads on the things? |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2004-1-29 1:21:03 AM |
| #13 How confident are you Steve? Are you $3 Confident? I say the Atlantic Ocean is even bigger.. and I say human falibility makes Africa look like the 12 green at Augusta. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-1-28 6:46:03 PM |
| #12 C'mon guys, Africa is a big place, I'm sure the Nigerians can hit it with a Scud. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2004-1-28 6:00:14 PM |
| #11 I wouldn't be suprised if we sink it in the Indian Ocean. It's not like either country has deep-sea exploration equitment. The best the have is SCUBA. Poor SCUBA divers... |
| Posted by: Charles 2004-1-28 5:53:11 PM |
| #10 Mr. Koz I expect you're right, but I am by nature optimistic. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-1-28 2:46:09 PM |
| #9 very good point about the aid,time to cut all the food supplys me says. |
| Posted by: Jon Shep U.K 2004-1-28 2:31:15 PM |
| #8 If they can afford this, then we can cut back on our aid. If W doesn't win, kimchee will be on his merry way. |
| Posted by: Anonymous2U 2004-1-28 12:07:44 PM |
| #7 those stupid nigerian bastards,i mean what sort of a cock head goverment allies up with Kimmie,hey wonder if kimmie will rip em off like he did to saddam. |
| Posted by: Jon Shep U.K 2004-1-28 11:53:11 AM |
| #6 Ship- I'm not giving these guys an 18% chance of getting it out of the shipping container in one piece, or fueling it without killing themselves. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-1-28 11:32:45 AM |
| #5 They joined Kim's team soon after they uncovered our evil plot to immunize their children against polio. I knew the Jews were steering us wrong on that one. Now what will we do without Nigerian ... Anybody know what we're going to have to do without once we sanction them? |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-1-28 11:29:52 AM |
| #4 Let 'em go -- and sink 'em just outside the Nigerian port. How much longer are we going to put up with this. Not long after Election Day, I hope. |
| Posted by: Tom 2004-1-28 11:23:57 AM |
| #3 Why worry? Soviet designed, North Korean engineered and Nigerian operated. So ya end up with a 1/3! chance of any given flight being a success. It'll only work properly 18% of the time and that's not factoring in the weather. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-1-28 11:20:28 AM |
| #2 Sounds to me like a blockade is in order. No outgoing shipments from NK via air or sea. Fun and games time is over. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-1-28 11:11:41 AM |
| #1 Nuclear e-mail scams! |
| Posted by: Steve from Relto 2004-1-28 10:45:45 AM |