Minister: N. Korea Has Nuclear Deterrent

[bpilgrim]

netscape.cnn.com

By EDITH M. LEDERER
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - North Korea says it has turned the plutonium from 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods into nuclear weapons to serve as a deterrent against increasing U.S. nuclear threats and to prevent a nuclear war in northeast Asia.

Warning that the danger of war on the Korean peninsula ``is snowballing,'' Vice Foreign Minister Choe Su Hon provided details Monday of the nuclear deterrent that he said North Korea has developed for self-defense.

He told the U.N. General Assembly's annual ministerial meeting that Pyongyang had ``no other option but to possess a nuclear deterrent'' because of U.S. policies that he claimed were designed to ``eliminate'' North Korea and make it ``a target of preemptive nuclear strikes.''

``Our deterrent is, in all its intents and purposes, the self-defensive means to cope with the ever increasing U.S. nuclear threats and further, prevent a nuclear war in northeast Asia,'' he told a news conference after his speech.

more...
netscape.cnn.com

[GHOSTDANCER]

1. Could you blame em?

Bush has proven that it's the only way you can get a seat at the table to settle things diplomatically.

[bpilgrim]

3. nope

and they got the neoCONs between iraq and a hard place.

peace

[Owlet]

2. Well, let's see if it works..

..as a deterrent, that is, to give pause to any BushCo plan to invade the place. Of course the root word is 'deter', not 'prevent', so while it may slow down the invasion planners in Doug Feith's shop it won't per se stop them.

[Supersedeas]

4. Welcome to the Atomic Cult

[bpilgrim]

5. any other reports on this story?

or is this a dupe?

peace

[bpilgrim]

6. did bush tell Bill O'Really he would NOT allow N. Korea to get NUKES?

too, late...
http://news.globalfreepress.com/mp3/Mike_Malloy/bush_no_nukes.mp3


peace

[Invalence1]

10. Sounded like he said "Iran" n/t

[bpilgrim]

7. U.S. Reacts Calmly to N. Korea Nuke Claim

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration responded calmly Tuesday to North Korean claims it has turned the plutonium from 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods into nuclear weapons.
...........
Meanwhile, Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton said the Bush administration remains committed to six-party talks, and that North Korea was using criticism of South Korean tests as a propaganda ploy. Bolton said it was "very hard to know" how advanced North Korea's nuclear weapons program was.

North Korea's nuclear weapons program has become part of the presidential election campaign.

Democratic candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) prefers one-on-one negotiations with North Korea and has accused the Bush administration of letting a "nuclear nightmare" develop by refusing to deal with North Korea when President Bush (news - web sites) took office in January 2001.

"North Korea's nuclear program is well ahead of what Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) was even suspected of doing, yet the president took his eye off the ball, wrongly ignoring this growing danger," Kerry said recently.

Some U.S. intelligence analysts are becoming concerned that North Korea may have up to six nuclear weapons instead of the one or two the Central Intelligence Agency (news - web sites) estimates.

more...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x872057

peace

[daleo]

8. What's the latest story on the mushroom cloud?

Before I went on holidays for a week (and out of touch), I heard North Korea claiming it was just a hydro-electric project using conventional explosives. Then, some South Korean officials said it was just a mis-identified regular weather cloud. A British official and perhaps a Swede were scheduled to visit and investigate.

I think this story lends credibility to the theory that it was an atomic bomb demonstration shot by the North Koreans.

[bpilgrim]

9. haven't heard

looks like this is the confirmation. :shrug:

peace

[daleo]

11. Yeah, I suppose so. Thanks.

Amazing how this stuff just gets swept down the memory hole.

[livinbella]

12. Did anyone detect radiation?

Was the test underground or partially underground and is
this why the radiation levels were not elevated
(or were they elevated?). Did not the US refuse to share
their data with the rest of the world.

[bpilgrim]

13. i've been waiting to hear about the brit who was supposed to go over there

but i haven't heard anything and it looks like DU hasn't heard anymore either.

i hope this comes up in the debates to debunk the whole argument that the world is now safer.

peace

[Zerex71]

14. We spend decades trying to put the Cold War behind us

and Bubble Boy's Dear Leader-like bluster has us right back in it within four years. Just like everything else he's f***ed up while in office. Can't wait until he's shown the door in about a month.

Mike