North Korean nuclear talks may net deal By BURT HERMAN, Associated Press Writer
33 minutes ago
BEIJING - Talks on North Korea's nuclear programs resumed on a positive note Thursday, with the Chinese hosts distributing a draft agreement and the North agreeing in principle to initial steps to disarm.
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Envoys from six nations are trying to agree on steps to implement a September 2005 deal in which North Korea pledged to disarm in exchange for aid and security guarantees. The 2005 deal — the only one to emerge since negotiations began in 2003 — was a broad statement of principles that did not outline any concrete steps for dismantling North Korea's nuclear program.
The main U.S. envoy, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher, said the new proposal would be "a set of actions that would have to be taken in a finite amount of time." He declined to give specifics, but said moves would occur in a matter of weeks.
"The delegations are coalescing around some of the themes that we believe should be the basis for a first step in implementing" the 2005 agreement, Hill said. "The first step of a journey is often the most difficult step, and this effort is in fact proving that."
A South Korean official, speaking early Friday on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing diplomacy, said China circulated a draft proposal. The official gave no details, but other delegates said earlier that the agreement would outline initial steps for implementing the 2005 accord.
Such an agreement would set the stage for the first tangible steps in more than three years of negotiations.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in Washington she was "cautiously optimistic" that the implementation of the agreement could begin.
At the last round of talks in December, in the wake of North Korea's Oct. 9 underground nuclear test, the communist nation refused even to talk about its nuclear programs. Instead, Pyongyang demanded the U.S. lift financial restrictions targeting alleged North Korean counterfeiting and money laundering.
Since then, the U.S. and North Korean nuclear envoys held an unusual one-on-one meeting in Germany last month where differences between the sides were apparently discussed, although no details of any concessions have been made public. Pyongyang and Washington held separate talks in Beijing late January on the financial issue, although it has yet to be resolved.
Unlike in the December talks, negotiators Thursday "were able to make progress in discussing denuclearization," Hill said.
South Korea's envoy Chun Yung-woo said all sides agreed that "it is important to reach agreement at this round of talks on first-phase measures."
The North's chief negotiator had said before the talks began that his country was "prepared to discuss first-stage measures" toward nuclear disarmament.
"We are going to make a judgment based on whether the United States will give up its hostile policy and come out toward peaceful coexistence," Kim Kye Gwan said on arriving in Beijing for the meeting at a Chinese state guesthouse.
American experts who visited Kim in Pyongyang last week said North Korea would propose a freeze of its main nuclear reactor and a resumption of international inspections in exchange for energy aid and a normalization of relations with Washington.
The North, which suffers from chronic power shortages, is also seeking electricity supply or an annual import of at least half a million tons of heavy fuel oil — the amount it had been promised under a Clinton-era denuclearization deal with the U.S.
North Korea and the U.S. agreed in 1994 for Pyongyang to freeze its plutonium-based nuclear reactor in exchange for energy aid. The North promised to eventually dismantle the facility following construction there of two light-water nuclear reactors for electricity — a type more difficult to divert for weapons use.
However, that deal fell apart in late 2002 after Washington accused North Korea of a secret uranium enrichment program. The North expelled international inspectors and restarted its reactor, and is believed to have amassed enough radioactive material for at least a half-dozen bombs.
The six-nation talks — involving China, Japan, Russia, the U.S. and the two Koreas — began in August 2003, but the North has twice boycotted them for more than a year. The latest was over a U.S. decision to blacklist a Macau bank where the North held accounts, saying it was complicit in the regime's alleged counterfeiting and money laundering.
Wouldnt that be great it North Korea actually goes through with this and maybe even establishes decent relations with the US? It would be something everyones children would read about in the future.. almost like the end of another cold war
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
So true, but this one if from China. North Korea can not continue to exist with out China, and Kim Young-Sick knows it.
True, I'm sure the agreement promises continued economic aid from China and probably the U.S. The question will be if North Korea will allow inspections to prove their sincerity.
"Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is."
I think that China has the means to exert a bit more pressure on NK than the US has. If China does not want NK to have nukes, it would be a very poor decision for them to think different.
Like the man said. "Let me make you an offer, you can not refuse."
I think that China has the means to exert a bit more pressure on NK than the US has. If China does not want NK to have nukes, it would be a very poor decision for them to think different.
True. If the Chinese finally make that point clearly enough that result is probably inevitable. It's just a case of the North Koreans squeezing everything they possibly can out of a deal.
I wonder if this has anything to do with those bomb tests that occurred a few months ago? I haven't heard anything about that story since. Did they actually test a nuclear weapon?, or was it only a radioactive bomb?
"Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is."
I wonder if this has anything to do with those bomb tests that occurred a few months ago? I haven't heard anything about that story since. Did they actually test a nuclear weapon?, or was it only a radioactive bomb?
Let us put this in perspective. Suppose Mexico decides it wants to develope Nukes and was going to test one someplace in Mesico. I beleive those of us who live in the southern states would be some what concerned about the test even if it was just a radioactive bomb. I am certain we would be requesting Washington to put some pressure on Mexico and convince them it is a poor idea.
I wonder if this has anything to do with those bomb tests that occurred a few months ago? I haven't heard anything about that story since. Did they actually test a nuclear weapon?, or was it only a radioactive bomb?
The yield was variably estimated at between .5 and 5 kt (most likely in the .5 to 1 kt range). 1kt=1000 tons of TNT equivalent explosive power.
Even at the low end, a chemical explosion of that magnitude would require a tunnel with a 1 sq m cross section (1 x 1m) filled for about 500 m with TNT. That is a lot of explosive.
Plus aerial surveilance revealed radioactive daughter elements of a fission explosion. This might have been faked with enourmous effort but seems very unlikley. It was almost certainly a real nuke...although perhaps a near dud with very low yield. For comaparison the Hiroshima blast was about 20 kt (about 20-40 x as powerful).
The Chinese were said to have been really angry with the PRK over this because it made them look bad.
Seems to me, however, it will be challenging to prove that the PRK has no remaining nukes, even if they stop refining uranium and plutonium. Still, it is very good news.
For the US cannot be held by its words,when it say peace it will attack.
A simple verse.
Attack Iraq becasue it has NO WMD
Do not attack North Korea becasue it has WMD.
So in simple fact,when you are strong who will attack you?
And for the China business,in the end China will do what is good for China.
The US already consider China as an enemy and the last bastion of Communism.
Chna knows this and is not stupid to not recognize the number of US bases circling China.
In Asia,here the leaders have already said that what ever happen,with NK on China side...Japan and Taiwan is lost.
And the US is powerless.
China will control Taiwan,irregardless of US action,adn for that it needs allies especailly NK.
The US know it is in no position to deter China once it invaded Taiwan.
One paper in Chinese mainland say,US SUPPORT ONE CHINA POLICY Inclusive of Taiwan,but sells ARM TO TAIWAN.
so at the end of the day,China is not stupid and the US cannot do anything.
For the US cannot be held by its words,when it say peace it will attack.
A simple verse.
Attack Iraq becasue it has NO WMD
Do not attack North Korea becasue it has WMD.
So in simple fact,when you are strong who will attack you?
And for the China business,in the end China will do what is good for China.
The US already consider China as an enemy and the last bastion of Communism.
Chna knows this and is not stupid to not recognize the number of US bases circling China.
In Asia,here the leaders have already said that what ever happen,with NK on China side...Japan and Taiwan is lost.
And the US is powerless.
China will control Taiwan,irregardless of US action,adn for that it needs allies especailly NK.
The US know it is in no position to deter China once it invaded Taiwan.
One paper in Chinese mainland say,US SUPPORT ONE CHINA POLICY Inclusive of Taiwan,but sells ARM TO TAIWAN.
so at the end of the day,China is not stupid and the US cannot do anything.
sometimes that delusional paranoia just gets old
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
By JAE-SOON CHANG, Associated Press Writer
25 minutes ago
BEIJING - Envoys to international talks on ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program struggled Friday to find a compromise as differences emerged over a Chinese proposal on how to begin the disarmament process.
Kenichiro Sasae, Japan's top negotiator said he felt there was no prospect of an agreement late Friday on the draft on how to implement a 2005 agreement that calls for Pyongyang to disarm in exchange for security guarantees and aid.
"There are some parts in which we had progress but on others we ran into difficulty," Sasae told reporters after daylong meetings with the other delegates.
"We will continue with the talks, but at this point in time I don't feel there is a prospect of reaching an agreement," he said without elaborating.
The chief American negotiator, however, expressed some hope but added that disputes remained over finer points.
"The fundamental issues, we're OK on," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill. "I'm still cautiously optimistic."
Hill said that the remaining issues to be resolved were contained in a single paragraph of the Chinese draft and that they were working on rewriting it to address North Korea's concerns. He did not give any details.
Earlier Friday, Hill and his North Korean counterpart, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, met for two hours, with Kim saying the meeting led to agreement on some unspecified issues, although there were still issues to overcome. "We are going to make more efforts to resolve them," Kim said.
Group and bilateral talks on Friday centered on a draft agreement China distributed to the nuclear envoys from Japan, the two Koreas, Russia and the United States.
The proposal — presented after North Korea agreed in principle to take initial steps to disarm — would grant the communist nation unspecified energy aid for shutting down its main nuclear facilities within two months, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.
Officials declined to confirm details of the draft.
A pro-Pyongyang newspaper in Japan said the North wants the U.S. first to show that it has permanently ceased its "hostile" policy toward Pyongyang.
"As conditions mature, (North Korea) can halt the operation of the Yongbyon nuclear facilities," the Choson Sinbo said, referring to the site of the North's main nuclear complex north of Pyongyang.
"The (North)'s position is that it can take corresponding measures when the U.S. takes steps to show that it irreversibly gave up its hostile policy," it said.
The report, carried on the paper's Web site, cited a "diplomatic source well versed in" the negotiations. The paper, with links to the government in Pyongyang, is considered one of the North's propaganda tools.
Any agreement on an initial set of reciprocal moves to implement a September 2005 accord — in which North Korea pledged to disarm in exchange for aid and security guarantees — would set the stage for the first tangible steps in the often-delayed six-nation process.
The 2005 deal, a broad statement of principles that did not outline any concrete steps for dismantling North Korea's nuclear program, was the only agreement since the negotiations began in 2003.
At the last session of the arms negotiations in December, following North Korea's Oct. 9 underground nuclear test, the North refused to even talk about its nuclear programs. Instead, it demanded the U.S. lift financial restrictions targeting alleged North Korean counterfeiting and money laundering.
___
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
Yes i know,the US is very paranoid seeing enemies everhwere.
LOL
lol
well maybe if people would stop bombing embassies and other buildings of ours then we wouldnt have to look everywhere. Besides, I would say it is the Muslims who fear the world and see everyone who isnt a Muslim as a Kaffir or an enemy
lol
again very sick of the same old paranoid comments that everyone is out to get you
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
BEIJING - North Korea agreed Tuesday to shut down its main nuclear reactor and eventually dismantle its atomic weapons program in exchange for millions of dollars in aid, just four months after the communist state shocked the world by testing a nuclear bomb. But North Korean state media said the pact required only a temporary suspension of the country's nuclear facilities.
"At the talks, the parties decided to offer economic and energy aid equivalent to 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil in connection with the DPRK's temporary suspension of the operation of its nuclear facilities," it said, referring to the country by the initials of its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The deal, reached after arduous talks, marks the first concrete plan for disarmament in more than three years of six-nation negotiations. The plan also could potentially herald a new era of cooperation in the region with the North's longtime foes — the United States and Japan — also agreeing to discuss normalizing relations.
"Obviously we have a long way to go, but we're very pleased with this agreement," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters. "It's a very solid step forward."
Making sure North Korea declares all its nuclear facilities and shuts them down is likely to prove difficult, nuclear experts have said.
North Korea must be in a real hard place
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
BEIJING - North Korea agreed Tuesday to shut down its main nuclear reactor and eventually dismantle its atomic weapons program in exchange for millions of dollars in aid, just four months after the communist state shocked the world by testing a nuclear bomb. But North Korean state media said the pact required only a temporary suspension of the country's nuclear facilities.
"At the talks, the parties decided to offer economic and energy aid equivalent to 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil in connection with the DPRK's temporary suspension of the operation of its nuclear facilities," it said, referring to the country by the initials of its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The deal, reached after arduous talks, marks the first concrete plan for disarmament in more than three years of six-nation negotiations. The plan also could potentially herald a new era of cooperation in the region with the North's longtime foes — the United States and Japan — also agreeing to discuss normalizing relations.
"Obviously we have a long way to go, but we're very pleased with this agreement," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters. "It's a very solid step forward."
Making sure North Korea declares all its nuclear facilities and shuts them down is likely to prove difficult, nuclear experts have said.
North Korea must be in a real hard place
Well, by most intelligence coming out of North Korea the people are eating bark and rioting over fertilizer....
"Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is."
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