N. Korea Pledges To Give Up Nukes

No. 2 Leader Tells Officials From South To Expect "Efforts To Realize" Disarmament

(CBS/AP)  North Korea's No. 2 leader pledged his country's commitment Thursday to giving up its nuclear program amid intensifying diplomacy aimed at implementing Pyongyang's pledge to disarm.

"The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the dying wish" of the country's late founding president Kim Il Sung, Kim Yong Nam said in Pyongyang during a visit from a high-level South Korean delegation.

The North "will make efforts to realize it," he said.

At the meeting, South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung pressed the North to implement a Feb. 13 pledge made with the U.S. and four other countries to take initial steps to disarm.

"It is important to make efforts to ensure that South and North Korea cooperate and six countries each assume their responsibilities," Lee said.

Kim Yong Nam also called on the Koreas to cooperate to achieve the reunification of the peninsula, which was divided in the wake of World War II and still remains technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a cease-fire.

Kim also repeated the North's calls for inter-Korean collaboration, an idea South Korea has dismissed as a ploy to drive a wedge in Seoul's alliance with Washington.

This week's Cabinet-level talks between the North and South — the highest-level regular contact between the Koreas — are the first in seven months. The talks resumed after North Korea's agreement last month in Beijing to shut down its main nuclear reactor within 60 days in exchange for aid.

Meanwhile, the New York Times published a story Thursday that raises questions about how the U.S. got into the situation of having to negotiate with North Korea to abandon a well-developed weapons program.

The Times quotes an unnamed "senior administration official" who suggests the nuclear standoff with the North could have been avoided, or at least greatly eased, had the White House "handled differently" evidence in 2002 that suggested Pyongyang was enriching uranium to create a bomb.

American intelligence officials are "publicly softening their position" on how much progress has actually been made in that enrichment process, according to the report.

"The question now is whether we would be in the position of having to get the North Koreans to give up a sizable arsenal if this had been handled differently," the official told The Times.

[j-whitman]

Looks as though as for NK goes,, Bush chose to use Clinton's foreign policy instead of his own on this one,,,,, What's that tell you of Bush's policies ?????

[crater7]

formrusmcsgt: NOT USING CAPS: I USE CAPS, BECAUSE I HAVE A VISUAL IMPAIRMENT. SORRY IT BOTHERS YOU, I'LL TRY TO KEEP THE NOISE DOWN, AND NOT YELL AT YOU ANY MORE. NAAAAAAAA, EXPECT MORE OF THE SAME. TURN YOUR VOLUME DOWN.

[pakaal]

"Bush is being successful with his approach in NK."

And what happens six or eight years from now, when we're negotiating again? We've been down this road before, when Clinton was in office. Hate to rain on anyone's parade, but anyone who touts this as a success should take a look at recent history. There's no way to say NK is any more sincere now than they were then. I wouldn't characterize this as successful - unless you're willing to say it's as successful as Clinton was when he negotiated with NK....

[agnim]

"N. Korea Pledges To Give Up Nukes"

Promises

Promises

Promises LOL

[formrusmcsgt]

That, and I'm trying to get into one of those middle school classes where I can be molested two or three times.
Posted by Musty2U at 11:11 AM : Mar 01, 2007

Maybe that's what that 29 year-old was after trying to pass himself of as a 12 year old a month or two ago...lol.

[musty2u]

That, and I'm trying to get into one of those middle school classes where I can be molested two or three times.

[formrusmcsgt]

Whew, that's an acceptance speech I would have a hard time writing.
Posted by Musty2U at 11:02 AM : Mar 01, 2007

You mean because of your talons, bro? lol.

[musty2u]

Whew, that's an acceptance speech I would have a hard time writing.

[formrusmcsgt]

but...the original post is because Bush is being successful with his approach in NK...and we will have a thawing with Iran within 180 days...
Posted by golfkt at 10:55 AM : Mar 01, 2007

Believe what you will. I only present the facts.

In regards to Bush's "success" with N. Korea, I will observe that he is at least making progress after abandoning his banty-rooster sabre-rattling approach that got us nowhere.

All that did was give N. Korea time to build 12 nukes instead of 2 and drive the cost of the deal up four-fold. Some "success".

He claimed that he had to hold the N. Koreans "accountable". Looking at the increased price of the deal, I would say that the N. Koreans held Bush more accountable than he did them.

[karlimhof]

sorry musty2u

MITYWHITY

I would wholeheartedly recommend you as a member of the American Academy of Science!

You first job should be to go to Mars yourself and check out why that SUV is causing so much trouble!