On the NK deal....

[MannyIsGod]

I liked it better when Bill Clinton tried it.

:lol

[01Snake]

Who actually thinks NK will disarm? :lol

[boutons_]

The US should invade NK, started a 3rd simultaneous war.
I'm tired of hearing about NK, NK, NK and the freak running that mouse of country. The mouse that roared and the US lion can do nothing.

[spurster]

Any deal that John Bolton doesn't like can't be all bad.

It sounds like a good deal (not perfect, but good). Kudos to BushCo for turning around their policy. Fortunately, the NK economy is in such horrible shape that they need the aid.

[01Snake]

Uh-Oh...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,251618,00.html

[Marklar MM]

Fortunately, the NK economy is in such horrible shape that they need the aid.


If you ask me, I highly doubt the economy will be helped. The military would receive a large portion of the aid. But then again, what do I know...I don't follow politics much.

[boutons_]

North Korea Agrees to Nuclear Disarmament

By Bert Herman
The Associated Press

Tuesday 13 February 2007

North Korea agreed Tuesday to shut down its main nuclear reactor within 60 days at talks with the U.S. and four regional powers and eventually dismantle its atomic weapons program.

Under the deal, the North will receive an initial 50,000 tons worth of aid in heavy fuel oil for shutting down and sealing its main nuclear reactor, to be confirmed by international inspectors, Chinese envoy Wu Dawei said. The North eventually will receive another 950,000 tons in aid for irreversibly disabling the reactor.

The agreement was read to all delegates in a conference room at a Chinese state guesthouse and Wu asked if there were any objections. When none were made, the officials all stood and applauded.

North Korea and United States also will embark on talks aimed at resolving disputes and restarting diplomatic relations, Wu said. The Korean peninsula has technically remained in a state of war for more than a half-century since the Korean War ended in a 1953 cease-fire.

The United States will begin the process of removing North Korea from its designation as a terror-sponsoring state and also on ending U.S. trade sanctions, but no deadlines was set, according to the agreement. Japan and North Korea also will seek to normalize relations, Wu said.

If Pyongyang follows through with its promises, they would be the first moves the communist nation has made to scale back its atomic development after more than three years of six-nation negotiations marked by delays, deadlock and the North's first nuclear test explosion in October.

Making sure that Pyongyang declares all its nuclear facilities and shuts them down is likely to prove arduous, nuclear experts have said.

North Korea has sidestepped previous agreements, allegedly running a uranium-based weapons program even as it froze a plutonium-based one - sparking the latest nuclear crisis in late 2002. The country is believed to have countless mountainside tunnels in which to hide projects.

After the initial 60 days, a joint meeting will be convened of foreign ministers from all countries at the talks - China, Japan, Russia, the United States and the two Koreas. Another meeting of the nuclear envoys was scheduled for March 19.

Under a 1994 U.S.-North Korea disarmament agreement, the North was to receive 500,000 tons of fuel oil a year before construction was completed of two nuclear reactors that would be able to generate 2 million kilowatts of electricity.

That deal fell apart in late 2002 when the U.S. accused the North of conducting a secret uranium enrichment program, sparking the latest nuclear crisis that led to the six-nation talks.

In September 2005, North Korea was promised energy aid and security guarantees in exchange for pledging to abandon its nuclear programs. But talks on implementing that agreement repeatedly stalled on other issues.

================

NK finally "solved", probably not. But sometimes gettng something is better than nothing, eg, Iraq, where dubya is getting nothing for giving up 10's of 1000s of US bodies.

[MannyIsGod]

Same shit that was done over 10 years ago. Same shit.

[boutons_]

maybe the "same shit" is really the best available shit.

[xrayzebra]

Same shit that was done over 10 years ago. Same shit.

You are absolutely correct. And they will cheat again and 10 years from now everyone will going through the same thing.
The politicians never learn, just, we have a deal. Well actually they do learn. But who remembers the last deal only the present deal counts.
:spin

[ChumpDumper]

Where's the outrage?

[xrayzebra]

outrage, why should there be any outrage? Where is the outrage for wanting to pull out of Iraq after we know what happened in Viet Nam when the Dimm-o-craps cut off funding for that war. They only lost a few citizens. Right?

[ChumpDumper]

outrage, why should there be any outrage?Everyone was so pissed about the similar deal Clinton made. Why is the same deal acceptable now?

[clambake]

Because kim jong il can now be trusted.

[01Snake]

So should we have resolved the issues with NK militarily?

[ChumpDumper]

So should we have resolved the issues with NK militarily?According to some on this board, yes. I was on record saying we were just going to end up bribing them again.

Scoreboard!

[BradLohaus]

who cares if north korea has the capacity to make nuclear weapons? i don't.

Neither do I. If Russia and China both have nukes and we sleep well at night then what do we care if all of east Asia nukes up? I don't even know why we bribe them. We just need to get our soldiers off the Korean peninsula.

[ChumpDumper]

:lmao

[BradLohaus]

Why do you care if NK has nukes, CD? Or SK or Japan? This small strip of land in Asia is of no importance to us anymore, if it ever was at all. Didn't Ike get a cease fire ASAP and basically say that what happens in Korea isn't of any concern to us?

[ChumpDumper]

Why do you care if NK has nukes, CD? Or SK or Japan?Or Saddam Hussein?

Whoops!

[BradLohaus]

OK, I think I see your point. Sometimes I forget who is running things.

[sabar]

NK is so funny.

"Hmm everyone is starving again, better tell the world we're making nukes again."
"Hey NK, stop making nukes for 10 years and we'll give you $200 billion in free economic aid"
"Deal"

Worthless.

[MannyIsGod]

Bush fucked up when he first took office. He wanted to be Mr. Hardline with NK and he's come full circle.

Congrats!

[01Snake]

Bush fucked up when he first took office. He wanted to be Mr. Hardline with NK and he's come full circle.

Congrats!

Did he have any other choice?

[Phenomanul]

Bush fucked up when he first took office. He wanted to be Mr. Hardline with NK and he's come full circle.

Congrats!


You'd rather we start a full-blown nuclear war with NK?

[boutons_]

"full-blown nuclear war"

that's what was in the dubya's hard-line cards until dubya gave some flexibiility to his negotiators, which he and his slime-bots call flip-flopping in other people,.

I compliment dubya for getting an agreement, reducing the tension, and kicking any confrontation down the road, although dubya's flexibility probably did not originate with him but was dictated or handed to him for his stooge-y acquiescence.

NK is a pimple on the world's ass, and will probably fester until Great Leader dies.
Does this freak have any sons? oops, looks like he does:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Jong-il

[1369]

Same shit that was done over 10 years ago. Same shit.

Not entirely Manny. What may give this agreement (well, bribe really) is that there are more players than just NK and the US who signed the '94 agreement. This time you have China and Russia in the mix, and although we'll have to wait to see if anything happens, when you have NK's #1 trading partner in on it, perhaps they can wield a little influence.

[MannyIsGod]

I'd rather Bush not have introduced his ridiculous stubborness in every foreign policy we have because in the end it produces no fucking results and we're back to square one. Bush has about as many fp success stories as Sadaam.

[MannyIsGod]

Not entirely Manny. What may give this agreement (well, bribe really) is that there are more players than just NK and the US who signed the '94 agreement. This time you have China and Russia in the mix, and although we'll have to wait to see if anything happens, when you have NK's #1 trading partner in on it, perhaps they can wield a little influence.We could have gone this route in 06 when we had more leverage than we do today. We've lost leverage and we've had to come back to square one.