North Korea Agrees to End Nuclear Programs

How could this happen with Bush at the helm?

How could this happen with Pres. Bush at the helm? I mean, there's just no way that Bush would ever negotiate a peaceful solution to a problem like the North Korea nuclear program, right?!?!

And yet, somehow, some way, that is exactly what has happened. Thanks to the multi-lateral talks that Pres. Bush insisted on, North Korea is peacefully agreeing to end their nuclear program.

We still face problems in getting Iran to drop their nuclear ambitions, including their recent statements that they (Iran) would provide nuclear technology and assistance to other similar nations. Hopefully we can and will continue to work the EU and other groups to help bring a peaceful conclusion there also.

Anyway, sorry to anyone that expected us to start another "Bush war" over the Korean nuke program. It looks like you won't get your wishes.

North Korea Agrees to End Nuclear Programs

By BURT HERMAN

BEIJING (AP) - North Korea on Monday agreed to stop building nuclear weapons and allow international inspections in exchange for energy aid, economic cooperation and security assurances, in a first step toward disarmament after two years of six-nation talks.
The chief U.S. envoy to the talks praised the breakthrough as a "win-win situation" and "good agreement for all of us." But he promptly urged Pyongyang to make good on its promises by ending operations at its main nuclear facility at Yongbyon.
"What is the purpose of operating it at this point?" said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill. "The time to turn it off would be about now."
Despite the deal's potential to help significantly ease friction between the North and the United States after years of false starts and setbacks, Hill remained cautious.
"We have to see what comes in the days and weeks ahead," he said.
The agreement clinched seven days of talks aimed at setting out general principles for the North's disarmament. Envoys agreed to return in early November to begin hashing out details of how that will be done.
Then, the hard work of ensuring compliance will begin, officials attending the talks said.
"Agreeing to a common document does not mean that the solution to our problems has been found," said Japan's chief envoy, Kenichiro Sasae.
Another Japanese official, who spoke on condition he not be named in order to discuss the issue more freely, noted that there was no common understanding among the participants about the nature of North Korea's nuclear program.
The head of the U.N. nuclear nonproliferation agency welcomed North Korea's decision to allow inspections, saying he hoped his experts could take the country at its word as soon as possible.
"The earlier we go back, the better," said Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
According to a joint statement issued at the talks' conclusion, the North "committed to abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and returning at an early date" to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.
"The six parties unanimously reaffirmed that the goal of the six-party talks is the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner," the statement said.
Responding to Pyongyang's claims that it needs atomic weapons for defense, North Korea and the United States pledged to respect each other's sovereignty and right to peaceful coexistence, and also to take steps to normalize relations.

politics

Locked Post

Advanced Search

Watch this post

Do not email me updates for this post Email me updates for this post

Successfully updated karma reason!

Island Dog

Join Date 06/2003

+1051

It's Bush's fault.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Nice to see some progress... I am always sceptical of N.K.'s promises about anything though.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Don't worry, they turn the works off every couple of years in order to get tons of international aid (read this as keep their army from starving to death.) It'll all be back on before you can say "Kim Jong Il makes lousy movies."

(and he does too, that man needs to hook up with the Coen brothers or something. Sheesh, they're worse than Saddam's romance novel.)

Successfully updated karma reason!