How Nuclear Disarmament Should Be Done

Surprisingly (to me) but welcome is the news that North Korea is shutting down its plutonium processor. Wasn’t this supposed to be impossible with a president that talked tough to enemies rather than appeasing them with food and money? And wasn’t this what the Carter administration was supposed to have accomplished?

Washington’s chief negotiator on North Korea outlined a dramatic programme of rapprochement with America’s long-time Stalinist foe yesterday after international inspectors verified that it had closed its main nuclear reactor at Yongbyon.

Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, confirmed a North Korean statement that the reactor, which processed the plutonium for the country’s nuclear weapons test last October, had been shut down.

In response, Christopher Hill, American assistant secretary of state, said talks to sign a formal peace treaty between the two countries, which ended the 1950-53 Korean War only with an armistice, could begin next year.

America would also consider removing North Korea from its list of “state sponsors of terrorism”.

“We’ll see when we can complete that because we’ll see how far the North Koreans are prepared to move on denuclearisation,” he told reporters in South Korea, where he held talks.

For perspective, Saddam Hussein did not do this when given the chance.

Technorati Tags: North Korea, terrorism, Mohamed ElBaradei, Christopher Hill, Korean War, Saddam Hussein, disarmament, nuclear weapons

Filed under: Foreign Policy • Government • North Korea • Terrorism

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