 The U.N. atomic watchdog agency took North Korea to task Friday for breaching the nuclear arms control treaty but welcomed its pledge to give up atomic weapons in a resolution that highlights U.S. priorities for future talks with Pyongyang.
| Wouldn't want to cheese 'em off, you know. They might become... ummm... unreasonable. |
China refrained from co-sponsoring the text in a reflection of its displeasure with a text focusing on Washington's priorities. Still, diplomats noted that the resolution was submitted to the 139-nation International Atomic Energy Agency's General Assembly only after Beijing indirectly signed off on it. Russia — which along with China is one of five nations negotiating with North Korea over scrapping its nuclear arms — also did not co-sponsor the text, showing that it, too, was unhappy with the outcome. The document was adopted by consensus, but has only symbolic value because the meeting has no enforcement powers.
| Mmmm... Warm milk! A UN favorite! |
But the dispute is significant because it reflects the disagreement on how to proceed at a more important level — future talks among North Korea, China, the United States, Russia, South Korea and Japan. The discussions are meant to build on Pyongyang's commitment to mothball its nuclear weapons. Confirming the differences and outlining Washington's concerns, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Thursday the Americans were insisting any resolution agreed upon in Vienna should not "change any understandings or what was agreed to at the six-party talks."
| That's why I couldn't be a diplomat. That paragraph could be written in Albanian and I'd get just about as much sense out of it. And I'm sober at the moment. |
A diplomat, who demanded anonymity because the resolution had not been made public, said the text tried to balance U.S. concerns that North Korea commit to honoring the nuclear arms control treaty and less specific Chinese-requested language focusing on rewards to Pyongyang. |