US President Barack Obama called up LMB to tell him Washington wants to increase cooperation in the six-party talks:
The U.S. President was quoted as saying he has learned the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula can be realized at an earlier date through close cooperation within the six-way talks, “considering the recent series of developments.”
Want that “recent series of developments” was, I haven’t the faintest.
Everyone agrees that it would be best to cooperate. Problem is, North Korea is very good at making sure that doesn’t happen, and its adversaries too dumb not to play their game. In fact, right now, I’d be keen to know whether the North Koreans even support the six-party talks at all. Given the current state of intra-Korean relations, I rather expect Pyongyang to say any future talks on North Korea’s nuclear program — or mutual nuclear disarmament talks, if the North had its way — must exclude Seoul. If that happens (emphasis on the “If”), will Obama and Co. move into bilateral mode?
I guess we shall see.
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The phrase “recent set of developments” may be referring to this
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02.....korea.html
Apparently, the Norks are busy getting ready to test-fire a second Taepodong-2 missile. This is the one that supposedly has a maximum radius that covers California and Alaska.
This is merely the opening prelude to what has now developed into a highly ritualized kabuki theater that is the nuclear disarmament talks with NK. It is the dawn of a new administration in the US. There is a new POTUS, a new cabinet. The Norks saying: Let’s play. Let’s see what you got…
Obama admin won’t be so different from Bush admin with NK issue. Obama might be much more tougher than Bush. I hope they do something about NK, it’s one of biggest problem in North Asia.
Who thinks that someone should shoot down this North Korean missile?
The moment it goes outside North Korean airspace, if it gets that far, there must be someone out there who wants to make a name for themselves by shooting it down.
Even if it’s not easy to shoot it down they should perhaps give it a go just for the sake of research. Clearly the ROK, US and Japanese Navies want to know whether they can shoot these things down. They can run their own tests all they like, but really what they need is North Korea to fire a missile for them to test on.
It’s not like North Korea hasn’t been warned. Security Council Resolution 1695 (2006) inter alia,
“Demands that the DPRK suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile programme, and in this context re-establish its pre-existing commitments to a moratorium on missile launching;”
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