[From the diaries by susanhu.] From AP Breaking News:
The North “committed to abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and returning at an early date” to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, according to the agreement by the six countries at the talks.
According to the AP article, the talks will continue in November and a long-tern strategy to deal with this process will need to be worked out.
“The United States affirmed that it has no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and has no intention to attack or invade (North Korea) with nuclear or conventional weapons,” according to the statement, in assurances echoed by South Korea.
Frankly, I don’t trust either side in this, but we’ll have to see what happens.
S Korea has pledged energy assistance to N Korea and the topic of a possible N Korean light water nuclear reactor is still up in the air, to the opposition of the US.
From BBC: N Korea will also allow inspections by the IAEA.
Catnip, thanks for writing this up so quickly. I saw it last night near midnight — as breaking news on CNN — just as I fell asleep.
Nor have I read any of the other articles about it yet. I wonder what the NYT has to say about it.
I didn’t see any U.S. representatives on TV as the triumphant group of diplomats posed for the TV cameras.
Was China the master architect here? Along with South Korea?
I see the United States was also given some instructions :):)
Is this a shift in diplomatic might?
If so, wouldn’t that be something, and producing a non-proliferation agreement with one of the most reclusive, dictatorial regimes is quite a move.
I certainly am not a global political analyst but I went to bed thinking that China will rise to the world superpower status this century considering its growing economic power, military strength along with the refusal of western countries to defie it when it comes to human rights abuses.
Big, big power shift hiding here. North Korea has been posturing against America in the publicity wars.
Meanwhile China, and to a lesser extent Japan, have been punching NKorea in the side of the head. Whap, whap, whap, whap, whap. After a while NKorea’s head began to hurt real bad. “Ha, America is a toothless paper tiger! Never laid a hand on me!” proclaimed the NKs!
Whap, whap, whap, whap, went the Chinese. “Uhhh”, said the NKs.
Yes, the world does see who’s the Paper Tiger. So now China has the diplomatic clout, AND owns our foreign debt (you know, the one we’re financing the the war and stuff with). The chancellories of the world are making out new score cards right now.
America has made two major mistakes in terms of securing its place as sole “super power”.
Not even the American military threat amounts to much these days as seen with Iran’s defiance and at times blatant mokery of western threats. I have argued this before; if Europe and Iran can come to an agreement that spells long term trouble for America’s influence in the world.
leading off the post-Emmy news.
Spouse wonders if N. Korea may have had some pressure from China…
I don’t doubt that pressure was overwhelming.
Which is to the good here.
I feel optimistic, a bit, about this.
And I can’t help but feel it’s a “screw you, George Bush” in that other nations made such an agreement happen.
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BEIJING, China (CNN) Sept. 19, 2005 — Following is the text of the joint statement issued Monday by six nations (China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Russia, United States) at talks in Beijing on North Korea’s nuclear program:
[…]
6) The six parties agreed to hold the fifth round of the six party talks in Beijing in early November 2005 at a date to be determined through consultations.”
SIX NATIONS AGREE TO … TALK!
wow – i feel much saver already – thanks to john bolton stashed away in the UN building and paul wolfowitz underneath piles of paper work at the world bank.
But how do you define "democratic countries"?American negotiators suggested that they could be defined simply as those countries that have signed the major international treaties on human rights - and then hastily withdrew their suggestion when they realised that that would disqualify the United States itself from membership.
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If I remember correctly, North Korea has been pushing for a non-aggression statement on Washington’s part as a pre-condition to these talks. Something the Bushies refused to do, because they didn’t want to look weak. If I am reading this right, it looks like someone in BushCo finally capitulated on this small point to move things along. I mean, how big of them, to agree not to preemptively strike someone in order to facilitate talks. Sounds like someone might be taking a step away from the kiddie table, toward the land of adult dining.
A promise is a comfort to a fool.
The North Korean government is obviously not made up of fools (like them or not) they seem to be able to bully even the most powerful countries. I am not convinced that American promises means much to them nor am I convinced that the Bush administration puts much in the promises of North Korea.
These agreements must now be brought back to each respective nation to be ratified. Let us keep an eye out for that. Not every negotiator has the ear of the final decision makers as much as we might think.
Let me be fair however and congratulate those who were able to work something out (although not the perfect solution). If all are truthful as they were wise at these meetings then things are looking up with this standoff.
I am yet skeptical
Bush doesn’t believe N Korea’s promises:
“They have said – in principle – that they will abandon their weapons programs,” Bush said. “And what we have said is, ‘Great. That’s a wonderful step forward.’ But now we’ve got to verify whether that happens.”
“The question is, over time will all parties adhere to the agreement,” Bush said.
“all parties”? What? He doesn’t even have confidence that the US will stick to the agreement? That’s comforting.
“Part of the way forward is for the North Koreans to understand that we’re serious about this and that we expect there to be a verifiable process,” the president said after a meeting of his Homeland Security Council.
That brings back memories of Iraq. “We want an inspection process”. “Screw the inspection process, we’re invading”. Like I said, I don’t trust either side. Why work so hard for an agreement if Bush has absolutely no faith in the outcome? What’s the point?
Oh screw you, you dumb fuckwad. (Bush, not you, Catnip.)
See, Bush is a little busy now fanning the flames over Syria and Iran.
One axis of evil at a time, please.
When I first started reading this, I was like — holy shit. Why is Susan cussing out catnip? Very out of character? And then I made it to the end of the thought.
Had to laugh.
lol…I knew she wasn’t cursing at me like that. Someone would have had to have hijacked her account for that to happen (I hope!). 🙂
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BEIJING, SEPT 16 — “We will never give up our nuclear programme before the US nuclear threat is removed from the Korean peninsula,” North Korean spokesman Hyun Hak Bong told reporters on the fourth day of the six-party talks.
North Korea has vowed not to give up its nuclear programme until the United States ends its hostile policy and provides it with full diplomatic recognition and economic rewards.
The United States urged China to step in and help break the deadlock in six-way talks aimed at ending North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons development.
The appeal followed a “standoff” in the talks after North Korea demanded a power-generating light-water reactor in exchange for abandoning its nuclear weapons program.
BEIJING, SEPT 17 — Chief delegates are expected to attend a banquet at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse this evening, hosted by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo to mark the Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the most important traditional festivals for the Chinese people.
Chief negotiators met here today and discussed the draft joint document proposed by China and a series of bilateral contacts have been conducted, a press release from the Chinese delegation said. It didn’t elaborate.
China tabled a new draft joint document yesterday hoping that the nuclear talks could avert a breakdown amid serious differences between Washington and Pyongyang. If passed, the document will be the first of its kind since six-party talks was launched in 2003 under the auspices of China.
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On Charlie Rose tonight — PBS — looks like Charlie will talk about the No. Korea deal. (Bet he adds more guests.)
The Charlie Rose Show
———————————-
Monday, September 19, 2005 at 11:00 p.m. ET.
Please go to http://www.charlierose.com/ for an updated show schedule
– Tonight’s Show
BAN KI-MOON, Foreign Minister, South Korea
AHMED ABOUL GHEIT, Foreign Minister, Egypt
From the newspaper Chosun Ilbo:
The U.S. delegation’s attitude on the matter, however, changed in just one day. Hill said Saturday that the participants had a good draft, and he’d engaged in much discussion with Washington.
There are many interpretations of this. Firstly, some say that to kill an agreement agreed to by South Korea, China and Russia with U.S. opposition would have been burdensome for Washington. The interpretation runs that the Bush administration, facing trouble at home and abroad, wished to avoid responsibility for a rupture in the talks.
The United States, however, has through the agreement virtually broken with the principle it had been most bombastic about. The Bush administration had been saying it could not reward illegal actions, calling it the “fundamental of fundamentals” of a resolution to the nuclear issue. Washington had also claimed that North Korea, which had already misused its peaceful nuclear program, could not be allowed another light-water reactor. Through this agreement, however, both principles have been shaken. Accordingly, some say its possible that U.S. neoconservatives, who take a hard-line against North Korea, will unleash an attack on the architects of the agreement, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill.
The wayback machine is set to…1999?
“North Korea has agreed to allow repeated U.S. inspections of a suspected nuclear weapons site…
“It was unclear what pressure China, North Korea’s closest ally, might have exerted on the isolated Pyongyang government…”
http://www.iht.com/articles/1999/03/17/nkor.2.t_0.php