It may be returning to the table, but it is unlikely to disarm
Wednesday July 13, 2005
The Guardian
Dong-A Ilbo
Editorial, South Korea, July 11
"It is welcome news that the fourth round of six-way talks is being held the last week of this month to discuss
North Korean nuclear issue. The consistent pressure and persuasion by Washington and Beijing, and South Korea's pledge of economic assistance appear to have succeeded in getting Pyongyang back to the negotiating table. The North now also seems to have faced the limitations of its 'brinkmanship' strategy.
"What matters at this point is how many tangible results the upcoming talks will yield. Some in the US government are reportedly saying, 'If there is no progress even at this time, we will follow another path,' which implies that Washington may abandon diplomatic efforts. The North must bear this in mind."
Nicholas D Kristof
New York Times, July 12
"The Bush administration has refused to negotiate with North Korea one-on-one, or to offer a clear and substantial package to coax Kim Jong-il away from his nuclear arsenal. Instead, President George Bush has focused on enticing North Korea into six-party talks ... Mr Bush is being suckered. Those talks are unlikely to get anywhere, and they simply give the North time to add to its nuclear capacity ...
"The threat of new reactors coming on line makes it all the more urgent that Mr Bush try direct negotiations - not only about nuclear weapons but also, as some conservatives are suggesting, about North Korea's human rights abuses ... Don't let the welcome resumption of the six-party talks distract us from the reality: Mr Bush's refusal to engage North Korea directly is making the peninsula steadily more dangerous. More than at any time since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, we are on collision course with a nuclear power."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/korea/article/0,2763,1527119,00.html
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