U.S.: North Korea agrees to shut down nuke programs (CNN)

[pinto]

GENEVA, Switzerland (AP) -- North Korea agreed Sunday to declare and disable all its nuclear programs by the end of the year, the chief U.S. negotiator said -- the first time the communist country has offered a timeline to end its secretive atomic program.

Negotiator Christopher Hill says the agreement bodes well for the six-nation talks slated for later this month.

The North Korean envoy, in separate comments, told reporters his country was willing "to declare and dismantle" its nuclear program, but mentioned no dates.

Two days of talks between the United States and North Korea in Geneva had been "very good and very substantive," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said.

The meetings would help improve chances of a successful meeting later this month with Japan, Russia, South Korea and China in six-nation talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear weapons program and improving relations between North Korea and other countries, Hill said.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/02/koreas.nuclear.ap/index.html

[Mojambo]

1. That almost sounds like good news.

Frankly I have no idea how to react.

[pretzel4gore]

2. cnn is a goddam liar

that's the real big news

[NNN0LHI]

3. Isn't it amazing how well we can get along with other countries as long as they possess nukes?

There is a lesson to be learned here.

Don

[pinto]

4. NK has a history of challenge/negotiate/challenge, but Hill is one of the

- or the only - high ranking US representative in the region with some real cred.

And, yeah, the real nuke capability was, and is, worth negotiation.

May be good news. May be pure PR all around. :shrug:

North Korea sorely needs international aid. They'd be smart to make concessions for some domestic support.

[NNN0LHI]

5. But Hill refused to negotiate with them one on one until AFTER they tested a nuke or 2

Wouldn't it have made more sense to negotiate BEFORE they tested their nukes?

This all seems kind of pointless now doesn't it?

I mean no one thinks NKorea is going to give up the nuclear weapons they have built while Hill was diddling around for the past several years getting nothing accomplished.

Don

[pinto]

6. Good point. iirc, Hill got confirmed in mid '05 and NK apparently ran a test in late '06.

So, apparently there was about a year's time to forestall it. What happened in the interim, I have no idea.

I guess my main point is that Hill has real world experience in the region, seems to be a diplomat - in the old sense - not a Bushie neophyte political appointee.

I hope the reports are accurate.

[NNN0LHI]

7. I think Hill was Boltons chief negotiator with NKorea from the beginning of the Bush regime

So he has had his hands in this mess long before '05. Without much success either.

Don