It’s all over the newswires today so pick your source… the crux is that there has been a “breakthrough” in 6 party talks with North Korea which has resulted in an agreement for NK to give up its’ nuclear arms ambitions permanently and rejoin the NPT.
The US has in turn agreed that it will not place any nuclear arms on the Korean peninsula (I assume that means South Korea can not either) and discussions are ongoing to provide North Korea with energy and help to build light-water nuclear reactors. These reactors are more difficult to use as sources for nuclear weapons.
There is no doubt that this is good news. And it should be celebrated. However, there are a number of caveats.
Will North Korea abide by the rules, or will it “flake out” for lack of a better term.
Will this signal a pullout of US forces from South Korea in part to support troops in Iraq and elsewhere and also to tone down the perceived threat to the North.
Will South Korea fully admit to and confirm the complete dismantlement of it’s own very secret, “rogue”, nuclear research?
We’re not out of the woods yet… but we’re getting there.
Earlier today I emailed this news to you but “ooops” forgot to actually paste in the link. Anyway, you were way ahead on this good news. I too have reservations that every party involved will abide by the rules established. It is also interesting to remember that Bush was the bad guy for insisting on multi-lateral talks when NoK was holding out for limited negotiations with the US alone.
Whatever, we will see what we will see regarding the outcome of all this.