Diplomacy begins to take effect
Source: Agencies |
December 1, 2010, Wednesday
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Print Edition
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A UNITED States supercarrier sent jets into overcast skies yesterday in US-South Korean military drills that North Korea warned could spark war, but signs of diplomacy emerged alongside the tensions over last week's deadly North Korean attack.
China hosted a top North Korean official for talks yesterday, and Japan also planned to send an envoy to China. The US, South Korea and Japan agreed to talk next week in Washington about North Korea's nuclear weapons and its November 23 artillery barrage that killed four South Koreans.
It was unclear if the Beijing visit by North Korea's Choe Thae Bok, chairman of North Korea's parliament, would lead to any diplomatic solution, however.
China proposed emergency regional talks earlier this week, but South Korea, the United States and Japan gave the proporal a cool response.
North Korea, meanwhile, reminded the world it was forging ahead with its nuclear efforts. Pyongyang said it was operating a modern uranium enrichment plant equipped with thousands of centrifuges. The main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in an editorial that North Korea was also building a light-water reactor.
North Korea first revealed the uranium program in early November to a visiting American scientist.
A light-water nuclear power reactor is ostensibly for civilian energy purposes, but it gives North Korea a reason to enrich uranium.
Uranium enrichment would give the country a second way to make nuclear bombs, in addition to its known plutonium-based program.
During yesterday's US-South Korean military drills, a heavy fog engulfed the USS George Washington supercarrier. The carrier's fog horn boomed out as US aircraft took off and landed in quick succession.
Commander Pete Walczak said the ship's combat direction center was closely monitoring any signs of ships, aircraft of any other activity and that nothing unusual was detected from North Korea.
"Absolutely nothing," Walczak said.
"A lot of saber-rattling, fist-shaking, but once our presence is here, reality says that it's really nothing."
North Korea warned that the drills could trigger a "full-blown war" on the peninsula.
"Our republic has a war deterrent that can annihilate any aggressor at once," the government-run Minju Joson said.
The Yonhap news agency reported that Choe was expected to meet top Chinese Communist Party officials and discuss last week's artillery barrage, North Korea's nuclear program and the US-South Korean military drills.
China has sought to calm tensions by calling for an emergency meeting among regional powers involved in six-party nuclear disarmament talks - the Koreas, the US, China, Russia and Japan - which have been stalled since last year.
Seoul, however, wants proof of Pyongyang's commitment to denuclearization as well as a show of regret over the March sinking of a warship.
Japan rejected a new round of aid-for-disarmament talks any time soon, but said a nuclear envoy would travel to China.
China hosted a top North Korean official for talks yesterday, and Japan also planned to send an envoy to China. The US, South Korea and Japan agreed to talk next week in Washington about North Korea's nuclear weapons and its November 23 artillery barrage that killed four South Koreans.
It was unclear if the Beijing visit by North Korea's Choe Thae Bok, chairman of North Korea's parliament, would lead to any diplomatic solution, however.
China proposed emergency regional talks earlier this week, but South Korea, the United States and Japan gave the proporal a cool response.
North Korea, meanwhile, reminded the world it was forging ahead with its nuclear efforts. Pyongyang said it was operating a modern uranium enrichment plant equipped with thousands of centrifuges. The main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in an editorial that North Korea was also building a light-water reactor.
North Korea first revealed the uranium program in early November to a visiting American scientist.
A light-water nuclear power reactor is ostensibly for civilian energy purposes, but it gives North Korea a reason to enrich uranium.
Uranium enrichment would give the country a second way to make nuclear bombs, in addition to its known plutonium-based program.
During yesterday's US-South Korean military drills, a heavy fog engulfed the USS George Washington supercarrier. The carrier's fog horn boomed out as US aircraft took off and landed in quick succession.
Commander Pete Walczak said the ship's combat direction center was closely monitoring any signs of ships, aircraft of any other activity and that nothing unusual was detected from North Korea.
"Absolutely nothing," Walczak said.
"A lot of saber-rattling, fist-shaking, but once our presence is here, reality says that it's really nothing."
North Korea warned that the drills could trigger a "full-blown war" on the peninsula.
"Our republic has a war deterrent that can annihilate any aggressor at once," the government-run Minju Joson said.
The Yonhap news agency reported that Choe was expected to meet top Chinese Communist Party officials and discuss last week's artillery barrage, North Korea's nuclear program and the US-South Korean military drills.
China has sought to calm tensions by calling for an emergency meeting among regional powers involved in six-party nuclear disarmament talks - the Koreas, the US, China, Russia and Japan - which have been stalled since last year.
Seoul, however, wants proof of Pyongyang's commitment to denuclearization as well as a show of regret over the March sinking of a warship.
Japan rejected a new round of aid-for-disarmament talks any time soon, but said a nuclear envoy would travel to China.
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