North Korea Misses First Nuclear Deadline
by Richardson ~ April 14th, 2007. Filed under: Diplomacy, Six-Party Talks.The first deadline for North Korea to shut down and seal its main facility for manufacturing nuclear weapons fuel expired Saturday with no apparent action by the North to fulfill its commitments, while China asked angry officials in the Bush administration to show patience.
And from the AP:
“It’s certainly worrisome to all of us to see them approaching this date rather lethargically. … We understood their concerns about the banking issue and frankly those concerns have been met,” [Hill] said. . . “I don’t want to put a date or an hour, but another month is not in my constitution,” he said.
The only immediate cost the impoverished North would suffer for not shutting the reactor by the deadline would be an initial 50,000 ton shipment of heavy fuel oil promised as a reward. . . However, it is unlikely the U.S. or other countries would take any punitive action, as Washington also failed to resolve the bank issue within 30 days as promised. (emphasis added)
The U.S. promised to release the BDA funds outside the 13 February agreement, thus the delay in the release, although not in that agreement, is being treated as such. This means that if the process, however doomed, fails now over North Korea missing the date to shutdown the Yongbyon nuclear reactor, apologists will have a grain to base the ‘Blame American’ campaign.
For this reason, it is highly likely that the U.S. will be “diplomatic,” and allow the date to slip. I am sure North Korea will eventually renege is a more dramatic manner – the next big test, after the reactor shutdown, is full disclosure of HEU activities.
April 14th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
[…] 2: According to sources quoted in this post at DPRK Studies, we’re going to give the North Koreans “a few more days.” Watch them […]
April 15th, 2007 at 3:24 am
The Norks are all tit and no tat.
April 15th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
The US media is already lining up to blame the US for the failure of Agreed Framework 2.0 even though the $25 million was not part of the original agreement as you pointed out. It is also unsurprising the AP is leading the charge.
April 15th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
I’m Shocked, just shocked I tell you.
April 15th, 2007 at 10:24 pm
I believe the AP should step in and help by sending the next years profit to help NKs negotiators get a better PR team.
April 16th, 2007 at 2:33 am
rather lethargically…that’s great! So apparently some folks are still out there who think the Norks might actually do something they agreed to. Can you lethargically do something you have never even started or had no intention of doing? Perhaps Hill meant “desceptively.” After all, why should he bank on history?
April 16th, 2007 at 7:55 am
Hill agreed only to wrap up the BDA investigation in 30 days, or least that’s what he told Congress. That happened, so North Korea has no basis to disregard its obligations. The AP shilling for NK again. What NK is demanding now is an account at Bank of China in Beijing so it can continue money laundering from there. Somehow, I don’t think Hill ever agreed to that.