During the recent round of six party talks between nK, China, Russia, ROK, Japan and the U.S., Pyongyang agreed to quickly dismantle key portions of its nuclear program and publicly account for all past nuclear activities, including bombs like the one it tested underground a year ago.
Personally, this sounds like the same old song-and-dance we’ve listened to for years. I understand the pressure to secure a deal with Pyongyang. After all, the possibility that Kim Jong Il will sell nuclear know-how to countries like Iran and Syria is a legitimate concern, and the sooner he’s out of the nuclear power business the better. And of course, the Bush administration desperately needs a diplomatic victory in nK to save face. But in our desperation, we’re dropping our guard.
This agreement sets a timetable for Pyongyang to come clean on all its nuclear programs and disable all nuclear facilities in exchange for 950,000 metric tons of fuel oil or its equivalent in economic aid. Sound familiar?
Oh, by the way, the agreement also requires the U.S. to “begin the process of removing” nK from the terrorism-sponsor list “in parallel” with the actions taken by Pyongyang. In July, Assistant Secretary of State, Christopher Hill, set the stage for this when he said the U.S. was willing to start the process after we “see how far the North Koreans are prepared to move on denuclearization.â€
Evidently, no movement at all was sufficient.
Tags: 6-member talks, Japan, North Korea, nuclear, oil, Pyongyang, ROK, Russia, South Korea, United States
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