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Pyongyang Says Nuclear Issue Can Be Solved
Seoul (AFP) Jan 22, 2009 A pro-Pyongyang newspaper on Thursday urged the new US administration to move swiftly to end disputes over North Korea's nuclear programmes, saying the issue can be solved. Chosun Sinbo, a newspaper published in Japan but widely considered as a mouthpiece for North Korea, said the North would cooperate in international efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation if a deal with Washington is agreed. "In order to avoid adding another diplomatic headache, the Obama government must work out a realistic and swift solution" to the nuclear issue, it said in a commentary entitled "Obama's responsibility in the new era." It repeated Pyongyang's stance that the North would keep its nuclear weapons until the US drops its "hostile" policy and withdraws its nuclear umbrella from the Korean peninsula. "If the Obama administration responds positively to the appeal from North Korea, nuclear threats to the Korean peninsula will disappear and common efforts to curb nuclear proliferation will be effectuated. This is not a difficult task," Chosun Sinbo said. The daily earlier this week said Pyongyang is prepared for a possible package deal with the new US government to resolve stalled nuclear disarmament negotiations "at one stroke," with all issues of concern on the table. The North staged its first nuclear test in 2006 but four months later reached a disarmament pact with the US and four regional powers. Progress has halted because of disagreements about how the North's disclosure of its nuclear activities should be independently verified. Last Saturday the North, staking out a tough position before the inauguration, said it may keep its nuclear weapons even after normalising relations with the United States. Even if relations become normalised, "our status as a nuclear-armed state will never change as long as the US nuclear threat to us remains, even to the slightest degree," the foreign ministry said. Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
North Korea, Afghanistan top Obama's Asian challenges
Hong Kong (AFP) Jan 21, 2009North Korea's nuclear programme and the long war in insurgency-riven Afghanistan head a daunting list of challenges facing new US President Barack Obama across Asia, analysts and policy-makers say. |
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