CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk reports that, according to Ambassador Sin, Pyongyang is prepared to negotiate directly with Washington about Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program: "We are ready, any time," he said.
But the Obama administration has stuck to the framework of the six-party talks. Those negotiations, involving the two Koreas, China, Russia, Japan and the U.S., have been unhinged several times, with Pyongyang returning to the development of its nuclear program and the testing of ballistic missiles.
For North Korea, those negotiations will not restart.
"We have already made our position very clear," Ambassador Sin told CBS. "The six-party talks are gone forever. We will never participate in the six-party talks again. Never again." Read the whole thing at CBS News
Why no more 6 party talks?
North Korea's U.N. Ambassador Sin, offered Pyongyang's explanation. "We have proceeded very well about denuclearization on our side with what we have agreed upon in the six-party talks, but we were cheated. We were cheated, simply I say, by other parties. The other parties of the six-party talks did not implement what they have agreed, what they promised in the six-party talks. So we do not trust them."
Why they seek nukes?
The most ominous comment, however, was perhaps the explanation of why the North pursues their nuclear program. "We are always exposed to the nuclear threat of the U.S.," Ambassador Sin said. "Japan and South Korea are under the protection of the nuclear umbrella by the United States. And our neighboring countries are all-powerful with nuclear weapons. There is only one country – DPRK – with nuclear vacancy in the region. We are defenseless, so it is our last option – to possess the nuclear deterrent."
North Korea's propaganda machine will portray a successful launch as a mighty symbol of Kim Jong-il's leadership after a suspected stroke in August raised questions about his grip on power.
It will also be able to show off to all Koreans that it has launched a rocket to carry a satellite just ahead of the wealthy South, which hopes to launch one in July. Reuters
Obama's statement:
North Korea's development and proliferation of ballistic missile technology pose a threat to the northeast Asian region and to international peace and security. The launch today of a Taepo-dong 2 missile was a clear violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718, which expressly prohibits North Korea from conducting ballistic missile-related activities of any kind. With this provocative act, North Korea has ignored its international obligations, rejected unequivocal calls for restraint, and further isolated itself from the community of nations.
We will immediately consult with our allies in the region, including Japan and the Republic of Korea, and members of the U.N. Security Council to bring this matter before the Council. I urge North Korea to abide fully by the resolutions of the U.N. Security Council and to refrain from further provocative actions.
Preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery is a high priority for my administration. The United States is fully committed to maintaining security and stability in northeast Asia and we will continue working for the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through the Six-Party Talks. The Six-Party Talks provide the forum for achieving denuclearization, reducing tensions, and for resolving other issues of concern between North Korea, its four neighbors, and the United States. North Korea has a pathway to acceptance in the international community, but it will not find that acceptance unless it abandons its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and abides by its international obligations and commitments.
UPDATE 4-4: North Korea launches. Read more here. North Korea is getting testy, threatening to blow six party talks to end nuclear weapons testing, putting two U.S. journalists on trial and threatening war with Japan. North Korea says it's launching a communications satellite between April 4-8. Japan says it's going to shoot it down and Robert Gates says the launch is a mask for development of a ballistic missile. Good grief.
WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) - A missile North Korea could launch as soon as this weekend appears to have a bulb-shaped tip that gives credence to Pyongyang's claim it plans to put a satellite in space, U.S. defense officials said on Tuesday.
Washington and others have voiced concern the launch will be a test of a long-range missile that could carry a warhead as far as U.S. territory. Pyongyang's plans have alarmed the region and intensified pressure on the North not to launch its Taepodong-2. A Taepodong-2 test in 2006 failed.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the launch, which North Korea says will occur between April 4 and 8, would deal a blow to six-party talks to end Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.
Further stoking tensions, North Korea said on Tuesday it would put on trial two U.S. journalists arrested this month on its border with China.
The reclusive state accused the two female reporters, Laura Ling and Euna Lee from the U.S.-based media outlet Current TV, of unspecified "hostile acts."
"The illegal entry of U.S. reporters into the DPRK (North Korea) and their suspected hostile acts have been confirmed by evidence and their statements, according to the results of intermediary investigation conducted by a competent organ of the DPRK," North Korea's KCNA news agency said.
North Korea accuses Japan of using the launch, scheduled to take place between April 4 and 8, as a pretext to build its own nuclear arsenal.
The North Korean news agency, in its statement, said, “The primary aim sought by Japan through this is to bring the six- party talks to collapse and delay the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and thus justify its ambition for nuclear weaponization.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on March 29 called the launch “a mask” for development of an intercontinental ballistic missile by North Korea.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is traveling to Asia. First stop is Japan, (February 16-18), next Indonesia (February 18-19), the Republic of Korea (February 19-20), and China (February 20-22).
Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State, Office of the Spokesman En Route, Tokyo, Japan February 15, 2009
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I wanted to come back and talk to you about this trip. It's my first trip, obviously, as Secretary of State, and going to Asia is, for me, a very big part of how we're going to demonstrate the Obama Administration's approach to dealing with the multitude of problems that we see, but also the opportunities as well.
This region is indispensible to our efforts to seize the opportunities and meet the challenges of the 21st century, and it is part of a larger context in which we intend to create networks of partners in order to deal with the problems that no nation, even ours, can deal with alone. And for me, this means employing all the tools of smart power. And I will be discussing with the leaders with whom I'll be meeting not only our bilateral relationships and our relationships with institutions in the region, but joint efforts that we can undertake on behalf of global problems like climate change or nuclear proliferation, or specific issues like the future of our efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan and beyond.
Now, this is not just about meeting with leaders, though, because I think it's important that we get out of the ministerial buildings and listen to the people in the countries where I'll be visiting. So to that end, I'll be doing town halls and visits in areas of concern that we can discuss with NGO leaders and local officials.
This is not the first time I've been in these countries, but it's obviously the first time that I come in this capacity. But it's an opportunity to renew relationships with some people that I've known before, as well as those with whom I'll be meeting for the first time.
And it really is about listening as much as talking. I think that's an important point I want to underscore. We think it's not only a smart approach to engage our friends, partners, and have an opportunity to hear from them, but we also are looking for the best ideas about how to further the objectives of this Administration in pursuing peace and prosperity and progress.
The final point I would say is that the global economic crisis is the backdrop against which this visit takes place. The four nations I'll be visiting are all members of the G-20. They will be in London. I will be discussing with them the approaches that each are taking, explaining what we have just done with the passage of our stimulus bill, and seeking greater cooperation about how together we're going to work our way through these very difficult economic times.
But I'm optimistic and very much looking forward to this trip. I chose to go to Asia deliberately in order to send that message that we are reaching out. We do see Asia as part of America's future. As I said in my speech at the Asia Society, we are both a transatlantic and a transpacific power. And part of what I hope we can do is better understand and create the kind of future that will benefit both Asians and Americans.
So I'd be glad to answer questions. Read the Q&A here
Here's an interesting question on abductees (North Korea abducted Japanese citizens in the 70s and 80s to train North Korean spies):
QUESTION: On Japan, you showed an interest in the abductee issue, and I wonder if that is a suggestion that you share the Japanese concern that maybe the Bush Administration in its final year was in too much of a hurry to make concessions to the North Koreans.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I'm not going to comment on that, but I will say the abductee issue is an issue of grave concern. It's such a human tragedy. And I think all of us can imagine how we would feel if a family member or an entire family that we were connected to in some way just disappeared and were never heard from. And only in recent years have we learned what happened to them.
So we do want to press the North Koreans to be more forthcoming with information. It's part of the Six-Party Talks. It is not just a concern of Japan. It is a concern of the comprehensive framework that the Six-Party Talks represents, and so we will be raising it. And I will be meeting with some of the abductees' families. As I've traveled around the world for many years, I've met with victims of genocide and terrorism. I've met with families of the disappeared in Argentina. I feel such a sense of sympathy and empathy with people whose lives are so upended by actions like that, and I want to show that personal concern that I have as well as our government's concern.
Preview of Upcoming Trip to Asia Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State Conference Call With Reporters Washington, DC February 13, 2009
OPERATOR: Good afternoon and thank you all for standing by. At this time, all lines have been placed on a listen-only mode until the question-and-answer session. At this time, I would like to turn the call over to Mr. Robert Wood. Sir, you may begin. MR. WOOD: Thank you. Welcome, everyone. I have Secretary Clinton here. She’s going to make some very brief remarks, and then we’ll go to your questions. I’ll turn it over to the Secretary. SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you very much for joining me on this call. I am very excited about my upcoming trip to Asia and I am pleased that this will be my first trip as Secretary of State. I think it’s important to signal that we intend to develop broader and deeper relationships not only with the countries I’ll be visiting, but with other nations throughout Asia and the Pacific. We believe that our futures are inextricably linked. As you may know, I spoke from the Asia Society here in New York City, and they consider part of their mission being to prepare Americans and Asians for a shared future. And I think that very much sums up the approach that I want to take, and certainly, the opportunities that I see for stronger bilateral, regional, and global cooperation, as well as the ongoing rigorous engagement and collaboration to deal with the economic crisis, to strengthen our alliances, to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and to build on efforts to face challenges like climate change, clean energy, pandemic healthcare crises and so much more. So I’d be happy to take some of your questions. MR. WOOD: Okay. Operator, we’re ready for questions. Let’s go to question one. OPERATOR: Thank you. At this time, if anyone has a question, please press *1 to be added to the question queue. Again, *1 to ask a question. Thank you. Andrea Mitchell, you may ask your question. QUESTION: Thank you very much, Madame Secretary. Thanks for taking questions. You talked about North Korea in your speech, and I’m wondering what specifically do you want to see from Pyongyang in order for them to develop the relationship that you have signaled you’re interested in developing? And if I could also just parenthetically ask you, on a very sad note, knowing your familiarity with New York and with the 9/11 survivors, whether you knew Beverly Eckert and whether you had any comments about her death. SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Andrea, let me start by saying how deeply saddened I was to learn that Beverly Eckert was on the plane that crashed. You know, my thoughts are prayers are with all of the families who lost loved ones in that tragic crash that hit in Clarence Center and affected not only the entire Buffalo community, but far beyond Western New York. Beverly became a partner and friend of mine in our efforts on behalf of the families of the victims of 9/11, and she was instrumental in pushing for the creation of the 9/11 Commission. It’s such a terrible loss and so deeply tragic that someone who herself lost her husband on September 11th and who channeled her grief and anger into trying to make sure that never happened again in our country would be taken so soon. So I’m certainly joining with so many who knew Beverly and the many more who lost someone that they loved in expressing my sympathy. With respect to North Korea, the first point to make is that we hope North Korea will refrain from provocative actions and words at this time. We do want to work through the Six-Party Talks, and I will be discussing with South Korea, Japan and China how best to get the negotiations back on track. I think we have such an opportunity to move these discussions forward, but to do so, we have to be clear. If North Korea is genuinely prepared to completely and verifiably eliminate their nuclear weapons program, the Obama Administration wants them to know that we would be willing to normalize bilateral relations, replace the longstanding armistice agreements with a permanent peace treaty, and assist, along with others, in meeting the energy and economic needs of the North Korean people. QUESTION: Would you also be willing to engage in direct bilateral talks on the margins or outside of the Six-Party Talks? It’s already taken place previously, so it would not be setting a precedent, but are you willing to continue that or expand it? SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Andrea, I want to consult with our allies and our partners in the Six-Party Talks, and listen to them and hear what they believe are the best ways forward. Read more here.
Japan's shrinking economy-- the biggest contraction since 1974:
