AFP. 19 January 2002. North Korea not anti-terrorism war target: US house speaker.
SEOUL -- North Korea is not a target in the expanding US war against terrorism, the US top parlimentary leader said here Saturday, dismissing the Stalinist state's media fuss over the issue. "To the best of my knowledge, al Qaeda and its attached organizations are not involved in North Korea," US House Speaker Dennis Hastert said, referring to the Islamic militant network headed by Osama bin Laden whom Washington accuses of masterminding the September 11 attacks on the US. "I see no evidence that we would be looking at North Korea because of that particular type of terrorism," he told a meeting of local and foreign journalists in Seoul. Hastert has been in Seoul since Thursday for talks with South Korean leaders as part of his Asian tour which included stops in Japan and Thiland. Official media in Pyongyang have recently fussed over speculation that the communist regime would be the next target in the US-declared war on terrorism. Rodong Sinmun, the official daily of the North's ruling communist party, warned North Koreans must be ready to "lay down their lives" for their state. The anti-terrorism war, which has focused on Afghanistan since the attacks on New York and Washington, is expanding with US troops being deployed in the Philippines to help Manila fight Muslim militants. North Korea is still on a US list of states sponsoring terrorism. US-North Korean relations have become tense since President George W. Bush took power in January last year [especially when Bush pointedly alluded to declaring war on the DPRK on 26 November 2001, see below] . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - AFP. 26 November 2001. Bush demands North Korean nuclear inspections; US seeks to clarify reports that North Korea to sell missiles to Egypt. WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush called on North Korea on Monday to permit foreign inspectors to verify that it is not producing weapons of mass destruction, and warned Pyongyang to halt foreign missile sales. Bush was asked by reporters whether he was extending his war on terrorism to states previously believed by the United States to be engaged in developing such arms. "Well, clearly in terms of North Korea, we want North Korea to allow inspectors in to determine whether or not they are," he replied. ____________ AP. 26 November 2001. Bush says Afghanistan 'just the beginning,' warns Iraq and North Korea. WASHINGTON -- President Bush said Monday the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan is "just the beginning" of the fight against terrorism, and he warned Iraq and North Korea there would be consequences for producing weapons of mass destruction. ... He said the leaders of North Korea must allow inspectors in if they want good relations with the United States. "And they ought to stop proliferating," Bush said, adding that "part of the war on terror is to deny terrorists weapons." His admonition Monday was the first in the context of questions about the next phase of the anti-terrorism war. Military successes against the Taliban have led some administration officials to consider options beyond Afghanistan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barry Stoller http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ProletarianNews
