AFP: North Korea's Kim says nuclear talks can resume 'if conditions met'

(AFP & AP)

"BEIJING (AFP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il said six-party talks on his country's nuclear drive can resume "at any time" if certain conditions are met, Chinese state media said."


Kim did not, however, specify what the conditions are.

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Is Kim trying to take advantage, and try to appear "in control"?

Will the 6-party talks disarm DPRK?

Does Kim have the bomb?

China military buildup threatens US forces: CIA chief (AFP)

"...Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Goss also highlighted threats to the United States from North Korea (news - web sites), which he warned could resume missile tests anytime after boasting of its nuclear weapons' might last week.

"Beijing's military modernisation and military buildup could tilt the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait," said Goss, who took over as CIA director in September.

"Improved Chinese capabilities threaten US forces in the region," he told the committee assessing the main security threats to the United States.

Goss said that China was stepping up efforts to "develop robust, survivable nuclear armed missiles as well as conventional capability for use in regional conflicts....."

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Seoul Doubts N.Korea Has Nukes, Despite Claim (Reuters)

Here we go again.......

"SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's top policymaker on North Korea said Monday North Korea's claim to have nuclear weapons was unproven and Seoul's controversial engagement policy with the North would remain, at least for now.

North Korea explicitly said for the first time last Thursday that it had atomic weapons. The reclusive communist state also said it was pulling out of six-party talks aimed at ending a two-year impasse over its nuclear programs because of what it called U.S. hostility. "There is no doubt that North Korea has 10 to 14 kg (22 to 31 pounds) of plutonium, but there is no evidence that the North has turned it into plutonium bombs," Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young told parliament Monday. "

Reuters via Yahoo!News
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Is Mr. Chung having a point or trying to comfort a worrying nation?

Does North Korea have the bomb?

Any North Koreans out there (either in or outside of the hermit kingdom) .... who wish to comment on this?

The North Korea Bugaboo and the Seas

SEOUL - North Korea issued a strong warning to South Korea on Saturday over what it claimed was the South's repeated intrusion into its waters, saying the alleged infringements could lead to a 'very serious disaster'.

A statement reported by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said: 'The South Korean army perpetrated military provocations by infiltrating a battleship several times into the North Korean waters.

AFP in the Straits Times
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With an ambiguous maritime border and with North Korea's re-ignited brinksmanship, are we closer now than ever to a breach in the 1954 armastice agreement?

How can the South Korean people help prevent an escalation in the crisis?

Kim's New Claim: We have nukes!!!! ...... really?

The New York Times Reports:

North Korea declared publicly on Thursday for the first time that it possessed nuclear weapons and would refuse to return to disarmament talks. That left China, the United States and its allies to debate whether diplomacy could still persuade the North Koreans to give up the nuclear option.

Feb. 10. 2005.

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Do they have nuclear weapons....really?

Might they have a nuclear 'bomb', but without the missile capability needed to threaten other countries, such as Japan and Fiji?

Should Tokyo's mayor be as audacious as always?

Can Rice salvage the situation?

Beijing invites Tokyo to talk

BEIJING-China has asked Japan to enter a bilateral ``strategic dialogue'' on the vice foreign minister level concerning regional and global situations and economic issues, diplomatic sources said over the weekend.
Beijing has recently urged several major nations to enter into special policy dialogues.
While India and the United States have already entered special talks with China, Tokyo has yet to respond.

Asahi.com. Full article.

Another round of good ol' Asian 'talk'?

What good will come of this?

Tests Said to Tie Deal on Uranium to North Korea

The New York Times Reports:

Scientific tests have led American intelligence agencies and government scientists to conclude with near certainty that North Korea sold processed uranium to Libya, bolstering earlier indications that the reclusive state exported sensitive fuel for atomic weapons, according to officials with access to the intelligence.

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