White House praises North Korea deal

[mcpeepants]

White House praises North Korea deal
POSTED: 11:29 a.m. EST, February 13, 2007
Story Highlights• NEW: White House calls North Korea agreement an "important first step"
• NEW: Administration defends deal against charges it makes U.S. look weak
• North Korea agrees to shut down its main nuclear reactor within 60 days
• The country will receive an initial 50,000 tons of fuel oil or financial aid in return

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. officials on Tuesday defended the Bush administration's policy shift on North Korea, which coincided with an agreement by Pyongyang to begin to close down its nuclear program.

The White House called the deal "a very important first step" toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea now has 60 days to shut down its Yongbyon nuclear complex and readmit nuclear inspectors. In return, it will get 50,000 tons of fuel oil or financial aid of an equal amount.

Once Pyongyang takes additional steps to disable its nuclear program, including taking inventory of its plutonium stockpile, it will qualify for another 950,000 tons of fuel oil or equivalent aid, according to the terms of the deal. The aid package is worth $300 million. (Watch how the deal was made )

"If they don't abide by the terms, they don't get the benefits they desire," White House press secretary Tony Snow told reporters Tuesday.

The United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia have been holding talks with North Korean officials since 2002 in an effort to convince Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons program.

Not addressed in the agreement is what will happen to any nuclear weapons North Korea may have stockpiled. Reports have suggested that Pyongyang already may have as many as a dozen nuclear bombs.

The omission marks a change from the previous statements -- including by Christopher Hill, the U.S. envoy to the six-party talks, in September 2005 -- that all elements, past and present, of North Korea's nuclear program "will be comprehensively declared and completely, verifiably and irreversibly eliminated" for benefits to accrue.

The Bush administration halted fuel shipments agreed by the Clinton White House after North Korea said it was developing a nuclear weapons program in 2002. Earlier that year President Bush labeled Pyongyang part of the "axis of evil."

'Wrong signal'
John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, blasted the new deal Monday in an interview with CNN, saying it would only encourage other countries trying to secure nuclear weapons.

"It sends exactly the wrong signal to would-be proliferators around the world: If you hold out long enough and wear down the State Department negotiators, eventually you get rewarded," said Bolton, who was also involved with North Korea earlier as the State Department's under secretary for arms control.

"It makes the [Bush] administration look very weak at a time in Iraq and dealing with Iran it needs to look strong," he said.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill on Tuesday defended the deal, saying it is different from the policy developed under the Clinton administration because it is a multilateral agreement.

"This is not a bilateral deal between the U.S. and North Korea," Hill said. "This involves six parties, with China in the share. I think the deal here is that North Korea has made certain commitments not only to us, but to all of its neighbors."

Bolton said the six-party deal "contradicts fundamental premises of the president's policy he's been following for the past six years" and could have effects on U.S. relations in other hot spots.

"I'm hoping that the president has not been fully briefed on it and still has time to reject it," he said.

As U.N. ambassador, Bolton helped push through a U.N. resolution last year that led to economic sanctions against North Korea.

Responding to the criticism, Hill pointed out that Bolton is a private citizen and has the right to speak his mind. Hill said he expects further criticism and emphasized that the deal is based on "initial actions" that will "begin a process aimed at complete denuclearization."

In October 2002, North Korea admitted it was developing a nuclear weapons program in violation of the 1994 Agreed Framework reached between the United States and North Korea. The United States then halted fuel oil shipments to Pyongyang called for under the same agreement.

In September 2005, North Korea committed to abandoning its nuclear program in exchange for aid and security guarantees. Pyongyang walked away from the talks weeks later to protest a U.S. crackdown on banks suspected of helping North Korea with illegal financial activities.

This time, an administration official said: "The Koreans faced five other united members, and they realized they were standing alone."

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux, John Vause and Susie Xu contributed to this report.

[Superhuman]

OMFG ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!!! This is now the 3rd time we have given North Korea money.... if you give a mouse a cookie... THIS IS BULLSHIT!

[singern]

I think the US is out of cookies.....But as the man once said "with great power comes great responsibility" So as much as the world bitches about US involvement in international affaires, it is always the US that saves there asses from falling off the cliff. And so the US just keeps making great cookies...

[Logan13]

OMFG ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!!! This is now the 3rd time we have given North Korea money.... if you give a mouse a cookie... THIS IS BULLSHIT!

Let's be real here. When people talk of "diplomacy" they mean "what do we need to give this country to get them to stop their bad behavior"? It's a joke, but hey, it should make you pacifists feel warm and fuzzy..........

[DTBusta]

Logan, its a good outcome for now. Atleast its better then sending Condi to achieve absolutely nothing. What amazing deal has she brokered. Im glad to see this end with out a war. After all the President who condemed them as an 'axis of evil' let them obtain a nuke.He didn't stop them, he stopped Iraq..from not much by the way it turned out right?. Both leaders were animals, but now atleast we don't have to invade for the time being.Our forces wouldn't be able to handle it anyway. They got the respect they wanted now and hopefully thats it. Logan if you were the leader of a country and were told you were on an 'axis of evil' would you now feel threatened? I know it isn't totally fair to use this comparison, cause Kim is definitly insane.


what sucks is Alsadr left Iraq, if indeed that intelligence is true, the american media hasn't touched upon it, atleast not msnbc or cnn. You would think this would be big news. Allthey report on is the increase in deaths in Iraq. Could this be because now the mahdi army is uncontrollable practically with their leader gone. Kind of like the sunni Bathists with out their leader right? God help us. Who is responsible for all these pitfalls?no one? They said he left cause of the surge!?

[Logan13]

Logan, its a good outcome for now. Atleast its better then sending Condi to achieve absolutely nothing. What amazing deal has she brokered. Im glad to see this end with out a war. After all the President who condemed them as an 'axis of evil' let them obtain a nuke.He didn't stop them, he stopped Iraq..from not much by the way it turned out right?. Both leaders were animals, but now atleast we don't have to invade for the time being.Our forces wouldn't be able to handle it anyway. They got the respect they wanted now and hopefully thats it. Logan if you were the leader of a country and were told you were on an 'axis of evil' would you now feel threatened? I know it isn't totally fair to use this comparison, cause Kim is definitly insane.
If you accused me of being a murderer, and I was indeed a murderer, what right would I have to call foul on you for calling me out on it?

what sucks is Alsadr left Iraq, if indeed that intelligence is true, the american media hasn't touched upon it, atleast not msnbc or cnn. You would think this would be big news. Allthey report on is the increase in deaths in Iraq. Could this be because now the mahdi army is uncontrollable practically with their leader gone. Kind of like the sunni Bathists with out their leader right? God help us. Who is responsible for all these pitfalls?no one? They said he left cause of the surge!?
Alot of the media has a vested interest, whether you will admit it or not, in the US failing in Iraq. Reporting the fact that Alsadr has fled Iraq would give the viewer an idea that perhaps the upscale and new plan in Iraq is working...

It is a good outcome. But I will point out to you that many on the left were stating this summer that we made a mistake in Iraq and that US security would be better served by focusing on North Korea instead. Bush insisted on multi-lateral talks, these occurred and have equated to this peaceful outcome with kim jong il. Do not forget that Clinton had a very similar deal made unilaterally with kim jong il, we gave him "stuff", and he did not do anything that he promised to do. This time we used a heavier hand along with regional pressures to get to where we are today. If he fails to live up to the deal this time, it is not just the US who gets screwed. But again, all diplomacy means is "what do we need to give this country to stop their bad behavior".

[Kärnfysikern]

Im happy aslong as they will allow full IAEA inspections and if they will dismantle that hideous plutonium producing reactor they have. Its a disaster waiting to happen.