U.S. official: North Korea threatens to carry out nuclear test

[Purveyor]

By George Gedda
ASSOCIATED PRESS
1:44 p.m. June 24, 2004

WASHINGTON – North Korea told the United States on Thursday that it would test a nuclear weapon unless Washington accepted Pyongyang's proposal for a freeze on its atomic program, a senior administration official said.

Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye Gwan spoke with Assistant Secretary of State James A. Kelly in a 2½-hour private discussion in China, where a six-nation conference is being held on the long-running impasse over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

<snip>

The senior administration official said the North Korean threat suggested that the Beijing discussions were headed toward failure. The conference ends on Friday with the issuance of a communique.

There was no indication of when North Korea might carry out its reported threat to test. The United States is uncertain as to how many weapons North Korea possesses, but thinks it has at least one or two with the potential for several more.


Link to entire AP article

[James T. Kirk]

1. Multi-party regional negotiations are needed!

This needs to resolved through talks with North Korea, South Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan. The US should not engage North Korea unilaterally.

Also, China and Russia need to call up Kim Jong Il and tell him to knock it off. If they don't they may end up with a scary regional nuclear arms race, with a nuclear-armed North Korea and a nuclear-armed Japan.

[UpInArms]

2. the madmen are definitely

at the controls.

[Massacure]

3. Where does he plan on testing it?

North Korea is a pretty small country. I don't think he would be so stupid as to try and use it on another country.

Are naval vessles capable of withstanding the blast of a nuclear device? I know the U.S. navy did it with atmoic weapons, but hydrogen bombs are much stronger. I wonder which of the two N. Korea has.

[2cents]

4. When? October, of course.

Our Admin of Fear would like nothing better than a credible nuclear threat to freak out the general population before the election.


October surprise possibilities:

1.WMD's found - too little, too late (not credible).

2.Get Osama - can't do that, when you kill the bad guy the movie is over.

3.Another terra attack - that would backfire and magnify admin. incompetence.

That leaves -

4.Krazy Kim

[markses]

5. That's the hard counter-offer

As we all know, the US, after 18 months of disastrous disengagement, basically caved on Wednesday, so why shouldn't the North Koreans come back with the hard counter-offer? The Bush Administration blinked in a face-down with Pyongyang, and now they (that is, unfortunately, we) have to pay the piper. Now, had there been continuous engagement during Bush's Presidency, concessions would not necessarily be viewed as a sign of weakness or desperation. But, because the Bush Administration is the most incompetent administration since the 19th century, Pyongyang feels like they can hold out and out-maneuver these idiots, the sad part being that the North Koreans are probably correct in this assessment. Oh, and of course, that puts us ALL in danger. Again. The Bush Administration is incompetent. It is as simple as that.

[teryang]

6. Actually this is a good development

...because the real issue, energy requirements are on the table. This was the stumbling block before, and the N.Koreans are not going to give it up because it was already agreed to and then breached by the US.

The Bush regime regarded the Agreed Framework as an unfavorable bargain with "evil" and therefore set about covertly to sabotage the agreement, particularly the nuclear power plant requirements, before they even got into office. The N. Koreans began to ramp up their nuclear programs when it became obvious the US was going to breach. The plants were due by 2003.

Now that the Koreans probably have more than one weapon, the proper approach would be to freeze their program where it is now. They are not going to go backwards. (this is what William Perry had recommended to this administration all along) They are suffering now without the nuclear energy and additionally the fuel the US promised. If there is no agreement, they will power up all their old nuclear facilities. This is a greater danger than a nuclear test.

The bad faith breach of the agreement and the irretrievable loss of electrical power and associated GDP that goes along with that cannot be made up. Therefore, the US will have to settle for less than Clinton/Albright achieved in the Agreed Framework, unless they offer substantially more benefits than Albright conceded. They have to. How else can the North make up for lost time and economic damage than by ramping up its nuclear power plants? The lost power supplies will have to be made up by some of the parties, if they expect the nuclear facilities to be shut down. Our allies are getting pinched to make up for our breach.

I really believe the breach has to do with NMD funding. If they have two or three warheads, then everyone will be happy. NMD will retain its dubious justification and Kim will get to keep a couple.