Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Back where we started?

US and North Korea need to move towards a workable solution

North Korea’s recent announcement that it has stopped disabling its nuclear facilities and is mulling over restoring the Yongbyon reactor, which is capable of making material for atomic bombs, sent alarming signals across the globe. The country accused US of failing to keep its promise of removing North Korea from the list of ‘State Sponsors of Terrorism’ and ending economic sanctions imposed by the Trading With the Enemy Act. “As the US side failed to keep its own side of the agreement, we cannot but take the following measures under the principle of action for action,” North Korea’s foreign ministry said. Currently, five countries are on that list, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. North Korea was added to the list in 1988 on charges of selling weapons to terrorist organisations, giving asylum to Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction members, Rangoon bombing, an attempt to assassinate the then-South Korean President, Chun Doo Hwan in 1983 and for the bombing of KAL Flight 858 in 1987 which killed 115 people. There are also other accusations like counterfeiting and producing $15 million worth of 'supernotes' every year to clandestinely procuring plutonium.

North Korea contends that despite agreeing to become a part of the six-party talks on nuclear disarmament of the Korean peninsula, and unveiling all details of its nuclear facilities, the group has not been able to reach any result. Negotiations with US earlier this year have also broken down. As per Uncle Sam, N. Korea should have a mechanism in place to identify its nuclear dossier.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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