NK Makes Nuke Declaration

[Annie]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&u=/ap/20050210/ap_on_re_as/nkorea_nuclear&printer=1

N. Korea Announces It Has Nuclear Weapons

20 minutes ago

By SANG-HUN CHOE, Associated Press Writer

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea (news - web sites) on Thursday announced for the first time that it has nuclear arms and rejected moves to restart disarmament talks any time soon, saying it needs the weapons as protection against an increasingly hostile United States.


The communist state's pronouncement dramatically raised the stakes in the two-year-old nuclear confrontation and posed a grave challenge to President Bush (news - web sites), who started his second term with a vow to end North Korea's nuclear program through six-nation talks.


"We ... have manufactured nukes for self-defense to cope with the Bush administration's ever more undisguised policy to isolate and stifle the (North)," the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.


The claim could not be independently verified. North Korea expelled the last U.N. nuclear monitors in late 2002 and has never tested a nuclear bomb, although international officials have long suspected it has one or two nuclear bombs and enough fuel for several more.


U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) said Washington would consult allies before responding.


"I think we just have to first look at the statement and then we need to talk with our allies," Rice told Dutch RTL television while on a trip through Europe.


"The North Koreans have no reason to believe that anyone wants to attack them," she added. "They have been told they can have multilateral security assurances if they will make the important decision to give up their nuclear weapons program. So there is really no reason for this, but we will examine where we go next." [...]

 

[dilloduck]

I can hear it from the libs now-----" We TOLD you NK was more dangerous than Iraq".

 

[dmp]

Not exactly true - NK confessed to the US privately their Nookyoular capabilities some time ago - this is the first PUBLIC declaration of "Look at US!!! We need ATTENTION because we SUCK!"

 

[CSM]

Not exactly true - NK confessed to the US privately their Nookyoular capabilities some time ago - this is the first PUBLIC declaration of "Look at US!!! We need ATTENTION because we SUCK!"

With the focus largely on the Iraqi elections, North Korea probably felt a little disenfranchised; they remind me of kids at a birthday party.

 

[Annie]

Not exactly true - NK confessed to the US privately their Nookyoular capabilities some time ago - this is the first PUBLIC declaration of "Look at US!!! We need ATTENTION because we SUCK!"

I knew the US was insisting they had them, but never saw that. Have a linK?

 

[dmp]

With the focus largely on the Iraqi elections, North Korea probably felt a little disenfranchised; they remind me of kids at a birthday party.

Indeed...their arrogance could be their downfall. With NK, they get hurt if they aren't the center of attention.

 

[dmp]

I knew the US was insisting they had them, but never saw that. Have a linK?

Previously, North Korea had reportedly told U.S. negotiators in private talks that it had nuclear weapons and might test one of them.

 

[Johnney]

well at least no one is acting like this was news or something. by their own admission of having them, but off all aide. everyone cut off all aide. if we havent already that is. im so inthe dark about somethings...lol

so do we let a thrid world country have nukes or do we coerce them back to the table?

 

[Annie]

I was looking for something besides the fuel rods, but can't find anything either. Thanks.

 

[dmp]

I was looking for something besides the fuel rods, but can't find anything either. Thanks.

miss that part?

Previously, North Korea had reportedly told U.S. negotiators in private talks that it had Nuclear Weapons and might test one of them.

 

[Annie]

miss that part?

Same thing. Your section highlight was referring to the rods and US speculation. Notice there was no attribution, but rather editorializing by the writer?

 

[dmp]

Same thing. Your section highlight was referring to the rods and US speculation. Notice there was no attribution, but rather editorializing by the writer?

No. It was showing the claim NK made that it had WEAPONS.

Here's the context:

My emphasis added to clarify:

Previously, North Korea had reportedly told U.S. negotiators in private talks that it had nuclear weapons and might test one of them.

Nobody 'tests' rods.

My emphasis added to clarify:

The North's U.N. envoy said last year that the country had "weaponized" plutonium from its pool of 8,000 nuclear spent fuel rods. Those rods contained enough plutonium for several bombs.

But Thursday's statement was North Korea's first public acknowledgment that it has nuclear weapons.

 

[Avatar4321]

Thank you so much Mr. Clinton and Mr. Carter.