NK: We Sent Nuke Report in Nov; U.S.: We’re Still Waiting
by Richardson ~ January 4th, 2008. Filed under: Diplomacy, Engagement, Nuclear Proliferation.It’s a game of nuclear he-said, she-said, with North Korea claiming to have sent a full declaration in November, and none of the other Six-Party Talks members knowing about it:
North Korea said on Friday it had already given an account of its nuclear arms programme as required under an international disarmament deal. . . “We have already drawn up a nuclear report in November and have notified the United States of it. . . As far as the nuclear declaration on which wrong opinion is being built up by some quarters is concerned, the DPRK (North Korea) has done what it should do.”
North Korea has not provided a full account of its nuclear program despite Pyongyang’s statement asserting it already made a declaration required under a disarmament deal, U.S. officials said on Friday.
“Unfortunately, we have not yet received a complete and correct declaration and we urge North Korea to deliver one soon so that we can all get the benefits offered in the six-party process,” White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe told reporters.
[. . .]
Asked about the North Korean assertion, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. . . “They’ve not yet provided what they have said is their final declaration to the chair of the six-party talks, the Chinese, and we’re still waiting for that,” he told reporters, adding that Washington remained committed to the nuclear deal.
Of all the excuses, saying they’d already sent it (did it get lost in the mail?) is a good one and earns North Korea some originality points. Perhaps they’ll decide to have talks to define the meaning of “full,” or something equally as useful.
January 4th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
This excuse is so lame it would be hillarious if it wasn’t so maddening. To coin an equally lame phrase from John Edwards… “enough is enough!” I keep holding out hope that the Bush administration will be able to use all of North Korea’s failings as (media and public opinion) cover to reinstate crushing sanctions, but I just don’t see it happening.
January 6th, 2008 at 3:22 am
I tried the same excuse once when I was late getting a video back to Blockbuster.
“No really, I put it in the drop box last night.”
I still got hit with late fees.
January 6th, 2008 at 6:21 am
Unfortunately for you Chris Hill wasn’t behind the counter at Blockbuster. You could’ve talked your way out of the fees and gotten a free rental a month for life.
January 6th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
NK did provide the data declaration to visiting Chris Hill in November. When Hill realized how far short of expectations the declaration was, he decided it was best not to have the document see the light of day. Had it been published, it would have shown NK was not going to comply with the joint statement requirements. Because the document wasn’t ready for prime time, the next round of negotiations, which otherwise would have been in early December, was not scheduled. Despite Hill’s visit, Bush’s letter, and a visit by senior Chinese officials, Pyongyang has told the US that it has provided as much detail on nuke weapons, HEU, and proliferation activities as it intends to do. The big issue is now how low will the US go in accepting an inadequate document in order to maintain momentum.
January 7th, 2008 at 1:03 am
“The big issue is now how low will the US go in accepting an inadequate document in order to maintain momentum.”
Yep, I have to agree on that one.
January 7th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Mr. Klinger,
If that’s accurate – and I don’t doubt you – then it would confirm what I’ve feared for several months; that dealing with Kim Jong-il wasn’t to give him enough rope to hang himself, but really is just pseudo-legacy building. I don’t think history will treat any presidents up to now kindly for their North Korea legacies.
January 7th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
With the first move of the new Lee administration slated to be the sacking of the Unification Ministry, I find it probable that the US will drift away from the current approach of Sunshine-lite.
We still have to wait to see how much the Lee presidency upsets the applecart…
….my guess is that….whether Lee follows through with big plans or not, Pyongyang will react dramatically to the Lee presidency itself, and that will solidify positions in both Seoul and Washington.
In short, Lee having balls, or just talking like he has balls, will end up forcing the US to grow a tiny pair when it comes to the 6 party talks and agreed framework.
Neither Lee or Bush or whoever replaces Bush will fundamentally alter the situation to the point that tough, effective sanctions are again imposed, but the Lee presidency, given its first shot on the Unification Ministry, will set the stage for…well….Sunshine-lite….
with Sunshine-lite being perhaps a drop in some amounts of aid but maintaining a sufficient level to keep the regime in Pyongyang alive —– but chopping out much of the goodie-goodie “dialog” between SK-NK and NK-US.
Basically, I see things going in a direction in which tough words will be spoken, and perhaps some of the excess aid dropped, but the main supply will remain the same.
The difference will end up being in tone.
But, also, the difference will be a return to the recognition that the status quo will remain — instead of this talk of “moving forward” we’ve had under the Agreed Fiction 2.0….