North Korea rejects US nuke proposal

[Feanorcurufinwe]

North Korea has dismissed as "nothing but a sham offer" U.S. proposals that the communist state follow the example of Libya and scrap its nuclear weapons in exchange for aid and diplomatic recognition. The United States laid out a plan for North Korea last month that would give the impoverished communist state multilateral energy aid after the North first commits to dismantle all of its nuclear programmes and begins a verifiable disarmament process.

American officials have also urged North Korea to emulate Libya and trade away its nuclear arms and other dangerous weapons for better ties with the West. Tripoli moved quickly from declaring its intent to scrap banned weapons in December to the lifting of U.S. sanctions to full diplomatic ties in June. But North Korea said that without immediate rewards for freezing its nuclear activities, "the landmark proposal made by the United States is little worthy to be considered any longer".

The advice to copy Libya was "worse still", because it demanded unilateral disarmament by North Korea, the North Korean foreign ministry said on Saturday in statement published by the official KCNA news agency.

"It is a daydream for the U.S. to contemplate forcing the DPRK to lay down arms first under the situation where both are in a state of armistice and at war technically," it said, using the initials for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5103463



Food aid for North Korea

The United States yesterday pledged 50,000 tonnes of food aid for North Korea this year, weeks after the countries appeared to make progress toward resolving a two-year-old nuclear weapons standoff.

The US, traditionally one of the main food donors to the impoverished Communist nation, says its aid is independent of talks to persuade Pyongyang to dismantle its nuclear programs.

But the Bush Administration acknowledged it would be good if the aid had a positive impact on nuclear negotiations, in which the two governments held their highest-level talks earlier this month.

"It's our desire to help the North Korean people," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "If that impresses the North Koreans and makes them adopt a more favourable attitude, then that's good, but our intention is to help the people and not to try to affect the talks."

Washington could also pledge more food aid later this year, he said.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/24/1090464908028.html?oneclick=true

[noahmijo]

1. I'm getting tired of North Korea and that bastard's bullshit

No I'm not saying nuke em all! but come on, somebody give me a history as to why we owe this communist dictator a damn thing. Oh so you strip down your nukes and you expect a reward? I think they got a word for that: it's called blackmail. It's like a guy seeking rewards for staying out of prison only with a more sinister motive.

Personally I think the North Korean leader is a thug who uses blackmail to get his way, I feel sorry for the North Korean people, I hope someday in the news we hear about how they have violently revolted against this bastard tyrant, much like I can't wait to see the Iranian youths overthrow the mullahs. How many human rights violations is this guy guilty of? where are all those watchdog groups?

I really don't think NK has the nerve to set one off in our homeland either. Put simply they can talk tough all they want but they know letting off a nuke somewhere over California would unleash a hellstorm on them like they wouldn't believe and not just from America, but from most of the world. It sounds crazy given that the world despises shrub and America for that matter, but I still think that most of the world seperates us from Bush, at least leaders of the world do, and secondly the world does have a major stake in America's survival therefore would help us defend against such an attack.

[GHOSTDANCER]

3. Ya after all India doesn't need any food do they? Or Sudan?

Hoarders of food warned

GUWAHATI, India: Authorities in India warned traders yesterday against hoarding as sweeping river waters disrupted food supplies in parts of South Asia where floods have killed more than 550 people in the past three weeks.

In the northeastern Indian state of Assam, police said they would cancel business licences or impose fines on traders who stocked up on food items needed by millions of people cut off by raging rivers since the start of July.

<http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=87574&Sn=WORL&IssueID=27126>

Delhi arms for drought war

If the monsoon does not come soon, the rate of growth of the agriculture sector is bound to fall. This will also pull down the overall economic growth rate and send the economy into a tailspin.

<http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040724/asp/nation/story_3535255.asp>

Sudanese rebels agree to talks

A 15-month conflict in western Sudan's vast Darfur region has killed as many as 30,000 people and forced over a million to flee their homes. The violence has also left more than two million people in desperate need of food and medicine

<http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10231879%255E1702,00.html>

[noahmijo]

4. I support helping those countries far before we give shitstain-yang

a handout. Tell that bastard to sell his palace so he can feed his own people. Enough with the fuckin mafia style tactics.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

2. Did the US pledge food aid before NK rejected nuke disarmament?

Or after? I can't tell for sure but it sounds like once they got the carrot they said they were keeping their stick.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

7. Does anyone know?

[GHOSTDANCER]

5. Am I trippin or did you hijack my post?

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x706543>

[VolcanoJen]

6. Kick

:dem: