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Pyongyang Acknowledged Readiness for New Nuke Tests
// Washington and Tokyo initiate new sanctions in response
North Korea officially acknowledged yesterday, for the first time, that it may carry out another nuclear test. Soon after that, delegation from China met with Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang. Chinese delegation tried to persuade North Korean leader to be prudent, so that North Korea does not incur new tougher sanctions which are already being discussed in Washington. Yet, experts think the chances are small to dissuade Kim Jong-il from new nuclear tests.
North Korean Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Hun, interviewed by US TV company ABC yesterday morning, said he believes North Korea might carry out another nuclear test. He called on the U.S. not to be surprised or worried by this event, explaining that another test is necessary “to counterface multiple nuclear arsenals around North Korea, in neighboring South Korea and Japan.” He called the nuclear test of October 9 to be a “peaceful proof that” North Korea has nuclear weapons.
The fact that Lee Hun is not bluffing was confirmed yesterday by South Korean parliament’s deputy Chun Yun Hyn, ex-chief of one of South Korea’s special services. “Having studied secret service reports of interested countries, we may conclude that North Korea will carry out 3 or 4 additional nuclear tests soon,” he said in his interview to state TV and radio corporation KBS. He said that North Koreans dug two horizontal tunnels – “western” and “eastern” – in the mountains of the north-east of the country. Test explosion was made in eastern tunnel on October 9. Depreservation works are being done in western tunnel now.
Meanwhile, all parties involved in Pyongyang’s “appeasing” were fervently trying to stop the escalation of crisis around North Korea. US President George Bush warned that the U.S. will take decisive measures to prevent any attempts of North Korea to sell nuclear technology to anyone, including terrorist groups. In the meantime, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is now on a visit to East Asia, said that Washington will support Tokyo’s initiative of new sanctions against Pyongyang. If North Korea does carry out another nuclear test, Tokyo will introduce a draft resolution to the UN Security Council. The resolution is likely to contain the demand to all UN member states to close their ports for North Korean vessels and to stop buying any of the goods produced by the country. Condoleezza Rice discussed North Korea issue in Tokyo and Seoul, including measures to search North Korean vessels by US and Japan’s war ships. Yet, Rice said she still hopes for a diplomatic solution of the crisis. This hope is due to yesterday’s visit of Chinese delegation headed by China’s state council member Tan Tzyasyuan to Pyongyang. Tzyasyuan met with Kim Jong-il and passed to him a special address from China’s leader Hu Jintao. According to Condoleezza Rice, the address contains a “clear message” that should make Kim Jong-il give up the idea of new nuclear tests. North Korea's Central News Agency (KCNA) confirmed that the address was passed to Kim Jong-il, and that the meeting went in a friendly atmosphere with Tzyasyuan giving a personal gift to North Korean leader. Experts think it is unlikely that Hu Jintao’s address might contain a threat to support new tougher sanctions. Beijing knows that threats are for Pyongyang as a red cloth is for the bull.
That is why China indirectly asked US and Japan yesterday to abstain from adopting stricter sanctions. However, Kommersant’s high-placed source in Seoul said that both China and South Korea are afraid that Kim Jong-il is firmly determined not to give in under the pressure of resolutions and sanctions, and to go to his aim: under the threat of more and more nuclear tests, to make the U.S. join bilateral talks with North Korea. The problem is, said the source, that Pyongyang does not want to see the obvious: Washington has also decided to be firm, although it does not fully realize what this strategy might lead to.
Andrey Ivanov
All the Article in Russian as of Oct. 20, 2006
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