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Theresa
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 Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:51 am North Korea Says It Has Nuclear Weapons |
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| Quote: | By SANG-HUN CHOE
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea announced for the first time Thursday it has nuclear weapons, and it rejected moves to restart disarmament talks anytime soon, saying the bombs are protection against an increasingly hostile United States.
The communist state's statement dramatically raised the stakes in the 2-year-old nuclear confrontation and posed a grave challenge to President Bush, who started his second term with a vow to end North Korea's nuclear program through six-nation talks.
``We ... have manufactured nukes for self-defense to cope with the Bush administration's evermore undisguised policy to isolate and stifle the (North),'' the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. The news agency used the colloquial term ``nukes'' in its English-language account.
The claim could not be independently verified. North Korea expelled the last U.N. nuclear monitors in late 2002. It is not known to have tested an atomic bomb, although international officials have long suspected it has one or two nuclear weapons.
The CIA has estimated that with a highly enriched uranium weapons program and the use of sophisticated high-speed centrifuges, North Korea could be making more. Some analysts and observers have put the estimate at six to eight.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the North had no reason to believe the United States would attack.
``The North Koreans have been told by the president of the United States that the United States has no intention of attacking or invading North Korea,'' Rice said in Luxembourg. ``There is a path for the North Koreans that would put them in a more reasonable relationship with the rest of the world.''
Previously, North Korea told international negotiators in closed-door talks that it had nuclear weapons and might test one of them, South Korean officials say. The North's U.N. envoy told reporters last year the country had ``weaponized'' plutonium from its pool of 8,000 nuclear spent fuel rods. Those rods contained enough plutonium for several bombs.
But Thursday's statement was North Korea's first public announcement that it has nuclear weapons.
North Korea said Thursday its ``nuclear weapons will remain (a) nuclear deterrent for self-defense under any circumstances.''
It said Washington's alleged attempt to topple the North's regime ``compels us to take a measure to bolster its nuclear weapons arsenal in order to protect the ideology, system, freedom and democracy chosen by its people.''
Since 2003, the United States, the two Koreas, China, Japan and Russia have held three rounds of talks in Beijing aimed at persuading the North to abandon nuclear weapons development in return for economic and diplomatic rewards. No significant progress has been made.
A fourth round scheduled for September 2004 was canceled when North Korea refused to attend, citing what it called a ``hostile'' U.S. policy.
``After its previous claims had failed to draw enough attention, North Korea now seeks to make people take it more seriously, create an atmosphere of crisis and make its negotiating partners pay more in order to persuade it to give up its nuclear capabilities,'' a senior South Korean official said on condition of anonymity.
South Korea said Thursday the North's decision to stay away from talks was ``seriously regrettable,'' and it repeated its previous estimate that Pyongyang has enough plutonium to build one or two nuclear bombs.
``We once again urge North Korea to rejoin the six-party talks without conditions so that it can discuss whatever differences it has with the United States and other participants,'' South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Lee Kyu-hyung said. ``We express our strong concern with the North Korean statement that it has nuclear weapons and we again declare our stance that we will never tolerate North Korea possessing nuclear weapons.''
In London, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan also urged North Korea to rejoin the talks, and he asked the other five nations to help.
``I expect that with efforts by the other countries involved, North Korea could be brought back to the table,'' Annan said following talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
Russia's Foreign Ministry criticized North Korea's statement and strongly urged it to return to the negotiations.
North Korea's move ``can only cause regret,'' the ministry said, adding that Moscow respects Pyongyang's concern about its safety but believes ``that the problem should be resolved through negotiations rather than arms race, especially nuclear arms race.''
The Chinese Foreign Ministry's chief spokesman, Kong Quan, said in a statement on the ministry's Web site that Beijing hopes the six-nation talks will continue.
``We consistently advocate the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and the preservation of the peninsula's peace and stability,'' the statement said.
The British government said it was deeply concerned by the announcement by North Korea, also known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
``It would be a major mistake for the DPRK were they to go down that route,'' Straw said in a joint news conference with Annan.
In recent weeks, hopes had risen that North Korea might return to the six-nation talks, especially after Bush refrained from any direct criticism of North Korea when he started his second term last month. During his first term, Bush said North Korea was part of an ``axis of evil'' with Iran and prewar Iraq.
On Thursday, North Korea said it decided not to rejoin such talks anytime soon after studying Bush's inaugural and State of the Union speeches and after Rice labeled North Korea one of the ``outposts of tyranny.''
``We have wanted the six-party talks but we are compelled to suspend our participation in the talks for an indefinite period till we have recognized that there is justification for us to attend the talks and there are ample conditions and atmosphere to expect positive results from the talks,'' the North Korean Foreign Ministry said.
Still, North Korea said it retained its ``principled stand to solve the issue through dialogue and negotiations and its ultimate goal to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula remain unchanged.''
Such a comment has widely been interpreted as a negotiating tactic to get more economic and diplomatic concessions from the United States before joining any crucial talks. North Korea wants economic compensation and security guarantees in return for abandoning its nuclear pursuit.
For months, it has lashed out at what it calls U.S. attempts to demolish the regime of leader Kim Jong Il and meddle in the human rights situation in the North. Washington has said it wants to resolve the nuclear talks through dialogue.
In his inaugural speech, Bush vowed that his new administration would not shrink from ``the great objective of ending tyranny'' around the globe.
In his State of the Union address, Bush only mentioned North Korea once, saying Washington was ``working closely with governments in Asia to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions.''
Last week, Michael Green, the National Security Council's senior director for Asian affairs, visited the region to relay Bush's desire to restart the diplomatic process to the leaders of China, South Korea and Japan.
The nuclear crisis began in 2002 when U.S. officials accused North Korea of running a secret uranium-enrichment program in violation of international treaties. Washington and its allies cut off free fuel oil shipments delivered to the impoverished country under a 1994 deal with the United States.
North Korea retaliated by quitting the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in early 2003 and restarting its plutonium-based nuclear weapons program, which had been frozen under the 1994 agreement.
02/10/05 10:39
� Copyright The Associated Press.
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Two South Korean soldiers patrol at the Imjingak Pavilion near the demilitarized zone of Panmunjom in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2005. North Korean Foreign Ministry announced Thursday, Feb. 10, 2005 in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, for the first time that it has nuclear weapons and rejected moves to restart disarmament talks any time soon, saying it needs the armaments as protection against an increasingly hostile United States. The statement was North Korea's first public acknowledgement that it has nuclear weapons. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man)
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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| Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:52 am |
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I read that the war with Korea never officially ended, that it's merely been a "cease-fire" all these years.
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Jeremy
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Joined: 03 Oct 2002
Posts: 7823
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
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| Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:05 pm |
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There never was a "war" to start with...
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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| Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:11 pm |
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Tsss, since I remember what book I read it in, I shall check as to the exact wording for you, Jeremy. *SLAP*
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Jeremy
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Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
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| Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:14 pm |
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No war has happened since the end of WW2, just armed conflicts. It's something to do with international law. It's exactly the same with, but without certain legal restrictions.
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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| Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:18 pm |
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Anyway, the point was there was no real cessation of hostilities. We've merely been at a cease fire.
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Jeremy
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Joined: 03 Oct 2002
Posts: 7823
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
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| Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:21 pm |
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Ok, I understand that. 
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
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| Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:41 pm |
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| Jeremy wrote: | | No war has happened since the end of WW2, just armed conflicts. It's something to do with international law. It's exactly the same with, but without certain legal restrictions. |
Actually, you are incorrect in that. That really just pertains to the US and Europe. However, North and South Korea ARE truly at war, and this truly IS just a cease-fire.
And yes, I was going to post this when I got home from school. This is extremely dangerous. What does everyone think we should do about it? Oh, and adding on, they've given nuclear materials to Lybia and will likely give it to other terrorists.
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Jeremy
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Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
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| Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:45 pm |
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"I think the answer is no but I also admit that I dont entirely understand the complicated situation. A "war" is something that under the US constitution must be "declared" by congress. Article I, section 8 states that ONLY congress has the power to declare war. Congress did NOT declare war. Therefore the US is NOT in a war.
It gets more complicated though. Presidents in the past had wars WITHOUT any declaration from congress. Korea and Vietnam by the above definition were NOT wars, war was not declared. So in 1973 after those "conflicts" the War Powers Act was passed by congress.
The war powers act basically says that congress must be consulted and must approve any action that involves the US Armed Forces and "hostilities". "
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
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| Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:48 pm |
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| Jeremy wrote: | "I think the answer is no but I also admit that I dont entirely understand the complicated situation. A "war" is something that under the US constitution must be "declared" by congress. Article I, section 8 states that ONLY congress has the power to declare war. Congress did NOT declare war. Therefore the US is NOT in a war.
It gets more complicated though. Presidents in the past had wars WITHOUT any declaration from congress. Korea and Vietnam by the above definition were NOT wars, war was not declared. So in 1973 after those "conflicts" the War Powers Act was passed by congress.
The war powers act basically says that congress must be consulted and must approve any action that involves the US Armed Forces and "hostilities". " |
I KNOW! Read my statement:
| Republican_Man wrote: | | Actually, you are incorrect in that. That really just pertains to the US and Europe. However, North and South Korea ARE truly at war, and this truly IS just a cease-fire. |
Yes, the US didn't declare war in either case, but Korea, for the US, WAS a military action approved by Congress, while Vietnam was just a police action started by President Kennedy (you know, brother of the guy who keeps saying Iraq is "George Bush's Vietnam.")
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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| Thu Feb 10, 2005 9:16 pm |
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| Quote: | N. Korea Boasts About Nukes, Nixes Talks
By SANG-HUN CHOE
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea boasted publicly for the first time Thursday that it has nuclear weapons and said it will stay away from disarmament talks, dramatically raising the stakes in the 2-year-old dispute. The Bush administration called on Pyongyang to give up its atomic aspirations so life can be better for its impoverished people.
North Korea's harshly worded pronouncement posed a grave challenge to President Bush, who started his second term with a vow to end North Korea's nuclear program through six-nation disarmament talks.
``We ... have manufactured nukes for self-defense to cope with the Bush administration's ever-more undisguised policy to isolate and stifle the (North),'' the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. The agency's report used the word ``nukes'' in its English-language dispatch.
Previously, U.S. negotiators said North Korean officials claimed in private talks that they had nuclear weapons and might test one. The North's U.N. envoy also said last year the country had ``weaponized'' plutonium from its pool of 8,000 nuclear spent fuel rods.
But Thursday's statement was the first claim directly from North Korea's state media that it has a nuclear weapon, confirming the widely held beliefs of international experts that the country has one or two atomic bombs. North Korea is not known to have performed any nuclear tests, and it kicked out U.N. inspectors in 2002, so there is no way to verify its claims.
The United States and South Korea, the North's main rivals, played down the revelation and urged the North to return to the six-nation talks that began in 2003 and also include China, Japan and Russia. Analysts suggested the move by North Korea may be a negotiating tactic aimed at getting more compensation in exchange for giving up its nuclear weapons program.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said North Korea should return to negotiations.
``The world has given them a way out and we hope they will take that way out,'' she said, wrapping up a trip to Europe. ``The North Koreans have been told by the president of the United States that the United States has no intention of attacking or invading North Korea.
``The message is clear: give up these aspirations for nuclear weapons and you know life can be different,'' Rice said, adding that it was the same message Libya understood in renouncing its nuclear ambitions.
In a clear overture to North Korea to help foster the nuclear talks, Bush refrained from direct criticism of the country in last week's State of the Union address. He mentioned the North only in a single sentence, saying Washington was ``working closely with governments in Asia to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions.''
Bush previously branded the North part of an ``axis of evil'' along with Iran and Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
Still, Pyongyang on Thursday seized on comments by Rice last month in which she labeled North Korea as one of the ``outposts of tyranny'' in the world.
``The U.S. disclosed its attempt to topple the political system in (North Korea) at any cost, threatening it with a nuclear stick,'' North Korea's Foreign Ministry said. ``This compels us to take a measure to bolster its nuclear weapons arsenal in order to protect the ideology, system, freedom and democracy chosen by the people in (North Korea).''
The statement said the Bush administration was trying to ``mislead'' the world in calling for resuming the six-party talks while also seeking ``regime change'' in North Korea.
``This is nothing but a far-fetched logic of gangsters as it is a good example fully revealing the wicked nature and brazen-faced double-dealing tactics of the U.S. as a master hand at plot-breeding and deception,'' the statement said.
South Korea urged its neighbor to rejoin the talks, and said it maintains its previously stated estimate that North Korea has enough plutonium to build one or two nuclear bombs.
``We once again urge North Korea to rejoin the six-party talks without conditions so that it can discuss whatever differences it has with the United States and other participants,'' said South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Lee Kyu-hyung.
Both Rice and White House spokesman Scott McClellan played down any significance of North Korea's announcement that it has nuclear weapons, saying it was ``rhetoric'' that has been heard before.
``We remain committed to a peaceful diplomatic resolution to the nuclear issue with regards to North Korea,'' McClellan said aboard Air Force One en route to North Carolina. ``It's time to talk about how to move forward.''
Washington now must rely on its allies with more direct influence over the North - China and South Korea - to entice North Korea to negotiate.
``The question now is whether Washington is able to persuade and cajole Seoul and Beijing to bribe and pressure North Korea to resume the six-party talks,'' said Gary Samore of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. ``The U.S. has absolutely no influence, except through other countries.''
Last week, Michael Green, the U.S. National Security Council's senior director for Asian affairs, traveled to the region to relay Bush's desire to restart the diplomatic process to the leaders of China, South Korea and Japan.
North Korea did leave an opening to return to the table, saying it would stay away until ``we have recognized that there is justification for us to attend the talks and there are ample conditions and atmosphere to expect positive results.'' North Korea's economy has been ravished by famine and natural disasters, and it relies on outside aid to feed its people.
``Even if threats and declarations are made, it's in every party's interest to have negotiations,'' said Peter Beck, Seoul-based director of the North East Asia project for the International Crisis Group think tank. ``Certainly this is a dark day for the negotiating process, but I don't think all is lost.''
The nuclear crisis began in 2002 when U.S. officials accused North Korea of running a secret uranium-enrichment program in violation of international treaties. Washington and its allies cut off free fuel oil shipments for the impoverished country under a 1994 deal with the United States made under the condition that North Korea halt nuclear weapons development.
North Korea retaliated by quitting the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in early 2003 and restarting its plutonium-based nuclear weapons program, which had been frozen under the 1994 agreement.
The CIA has estimated that with a highly enriched uranium weapons program and the use of sophisticated high-speed centrifuges, North Korea could be making more. Some analysts and observers have put the estimate at six to eight.
02/10/05 19:51
� Copyright The Associated Press.
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updated article
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