ME think Washington is scared shitless of the Koreans..what do you say
members?
Matek
<< WASHINGTON (Dec. 16) - As North Korea warns that the Korean Peninsula is
on
the ``verge of war,'' Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday the United
States has no plans to attack that country. To the extent a war threat
exists, he said, North Korea is to blame.
Powell rejected a demand by Pyongyang for a nonaggression treaty and
insisted
that it fulfill promises to forego nuclear weapons.
``The United States will not enter into dialogue in response to threats or
broken commitments. We will not bargain or offer inducements for North Korea
to live up to the treaties and agreements it has signed,'' Powell said.
North Korea renewed its demand for a nonaggression pact as the United States
and Japan opened high-level talks on Asian security issues and other
subjects.
With Powell sitting at her side at a news conference, Japanese Foreign
Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi agreed with Powell that North Korea must dismantle
its nuclear weapons programs.
Joining them at the news conference and at earlier discussions were Deputy
Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and Japan's Minister of State for Defense,
Shigeru Ishaba.
North Korea's official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, said, ``Now the situation
of
the Korean Peninsula is on the verge of war. The only way to prevent a
catastrophic crisis of a war ... is to conclude a nonaggression treaty
between North Korea and the U.S. at an early date.''
Powell said he does not believe another war on the Korean Peninsula is near.
``The United States has no plans to attack North Korea, and I see no
indication that North Korea, however concerned it might be, is taking any
action that would suggest we are on the verge of war from them attacking
south,'' he said.
Acknowledging the situation was dangerous, Powell said it was created ``by
North Korea's actions, not the actions on the part of the United States or
any other member of the international community.
''
Powell said North Korea's nuclear weapons activities have alienated
potential
donors and deprived the country's citizenry of sorely needed assistance.
He cited the North's admission last October that it had embarked on a
uranium-based nuclear weapons plan and its announcement last week that it
was
reviving a plutonium-based program that has been frozen and under
international inspection since 1994.
The CIA said last month that North Korea has enough stored plutonium to make
several more nuclear weapons in addition to the one, or possibly two, it
already is believed to possess.
Aside from South Korea, no country has a larger stake in the evolution of a
peaceful North Korea than Japan. North Korea already has missiles that are
within easy reach of Japan and also may have the ability to attach nuclear
warheads to the missiles.
In an apparent reference to North Korea, a U.S.-Japan communique issued at
the end of the talks said a comprehensive strategy is needed to face a
growing ballistic missile threat in the region.
``The Japanese side reaffirmed that a ballistic missile defense system is an
important consideration in Japan's defense policy, which is exclusively
defense-oriented,'' the communique said.
Wolfowitz noted that the United States, Japan and other countries have
expressed a willingness to assist in North Korea's recovery but only if
Pyongyang honors its agreements to become free of nuclear weapons.
South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, whose policy of trying to engage North
Korea is under pressure because of the North's nuclear policies, appealed
for
a peaceful solution through dialogue.
``We oppose North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons but the issue should
not be resolved through a war or by strengthening a Cold War system,'' Kim
said at a lunch with military commanders.
12/16/02 17:00 EST
>>
