McClatchy Newspapers:
North Korea defiantly boasted of its nuclear status Monday and set out a sweeping list of conditions for disarmament, including lifting of all international sanctions.
What's more, in a go-for-broke negotiating strategy, the North Korean envoy at talks on ending his country's nuclear programs suggested that the United States and North Korea dismantle their nuclear weapons at the same time.
The list of demands by North Korea at the outset of revived six-nation talks exasperated some other envoys and dampened hopes that the talks might find solid footing after 13 months of deadlock.
These are delaying tactics -- not even Kim Jong Il is screwy enough to think the US will dismantle its nuclear arsenal. What N. Korea really wants -- and has pretty much no chance of getting -- is a lifting of sanctions. Countries often ask for more than they expect to get in negotiations, in order to 'settle' for what they really want.
One of the under-reported stories in connection with these talks is Japan's increasing acceptance of militarization -- something the current US administration would likely be in favor of. A cold war between N. Korea and Japan would likely neuter the N. Korean nuclear program. Japanese technology is extremely advanced.
Last month, Japan announced that it is 'nuclear capable,' meaning they haven't built a weapon, but have the ability to. According to Japan Times:
In the wake of North Korea's nuclear test in October, discussions about possible possession of nuclear weapons have been growing in Japan.
Foreign Minister Taro Aso has repeatedly expressed support for debating the issue, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe not questioning Aso's stance.
The possibility of Japan as a nuclear power is so real that outgoing UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is expected to urge the japanese government to explore other options as one of his last acts in office.
"A state does not need to possess nuclear weapons to achieve greatness in this world," Annan says.
Tags: news | politics | North Korea | Japan | UN | diplomacy | nuclear | international
