North Korea: Talks More Important Than Terms
Jul 17, 2003
News from the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation For Immediate Release - July 17, 2003
Contact: Molly Pickett (202) 546-5142 ext. 119
Lack of Progress May Jeopardize Peaceful Solution to North Korean Nuclear Standoff
While the Bush Administration continues to stall on further talks with North Korea, critical opportunities for a diplomatic resolution to the nuclear standoff on the peninsula may be slipping away. Former Defense Secretary William Perry even warned about the possibility of war.
North Korea recently claimed it has reprocessed its 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods and has the capability of producing enough plutonium for five or six atomic bombs. Though the claim is not substantiated by U.S. intelligence, it is one more step in the North Korean nuclear brinkmanship that has been building since last October.
At the same time, North Korea appears to be softening its objections to multilateral talks on its nuclear program. The Chinese government recently told the United States that the North indicated its willingness to accept trilateral talks between itself, the United States, and China.
President Bush has refused bilateral talks sought by the North and insists that any further discussions be five-party negotiations including Japan, China, and South Korea. While China has been the leading proponent of further talks, including a multilateral setting with opportunities for bilateral discussions on the side, the United States continues to resist a compromise arrangement, allowing a dangerous situation to spiral downward.
“The United States has a rapidly shrinking window of opportunity to deal with this impasse in a peaceful manner”, said Molly Pickett, director of the Non-Proliferation Project at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation in Washington D.C. “The Bush Administration must engage the North Koreans promptly or the United States could face a decision about using military force to deal with weapons of mass destruction,” Pickett said.
North Korea has indicated its readiness to move forward on building nuclear weapons in the face of U.S. pressure and, without a non-aggression or aid agreement with the United States, refuses to acknowledge any alternative approach to ensuring its own security. Until the Bush Administration stops treading water and makes some concrete effort at productive talks, the level of confidence between the United States and North Korea will continue to deteriorate. Any progress on the U.S. objective of a verifiable and irreversible end to the North Korean nuclear weapons program will be out of reach.
“The Administration is neglecting its own national security priority of preventing the development of dangerous technologies by states hostile to the United States and its allies. It risks the loss of thousands of lives if it does not come back to the table and work for diplomatic progress,” Pickett said.
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