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NKorea hails rocket launch, to restart nuke programme
Seoul (AFP) April 15, 2009 An unrepentant North Korea Wednesday hailed its rocket launch as a historic victory, a day after vowing to restart its nuclear weapons programme in response to UN censure of the exercise. The communist North has ordered UN atomic inspectors to leave the Yongbyon complex, which produced weapons-grade plutonium until it was shut down under a six-nation nuclear disarmament deal. Incensed by the Security Council's condemnation of its April 5 blast-off, Pyongyang pledged Tuesday never to rejoin six-party talks. It vowed to restore and reopen Yongbyon and to reprocess spent reactor fuel rods. North Korea "informed IAEA inspectors in the Yongbyon facility that it is immediately ceasing all cooperation with the IAEA," said Marc Vidricaire, spokesman for the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "It has requested the removal of all containment and surveillance equipment, following which IAEA inspectors will no longer be provided access to the facility," he said. "The inspectors have also been asked to leave the DPRK (North Korea) at the earliest possible time." The White House said Pyongyang was making a big mistake. "We call on North Korea to cease its provocative threats and to respect the will of the international community and to honour its international commitments and obligations," said spokesman Robert Gibbs. "North Korea's announced threat to withdraw from the six-party talks and restart its nuclear programme is a serious step in the wrong direction." The forum groups the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan. The North has previously threatened to quit the process. But analysts said the current threat seemed serious and the United States may have to offer direct talks to woo it back to six-party dialogue. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the inspectors' expulsion an "unnecessary response" to a legitimate Security Council statement. "Obviously, we hope that there will be an opportunity to discuss this with not only our partners and allies but also eventually with the North Koreans," she added. Washington has some powerful means to bring North Korea out of its isolation, said Scott Bruce, US operations director for the Nautilus Institute think-tank. "It can recognise the country. It can end the state of perpetual insecurity that North Korea faces by being technically at war with the most powerful nation on Earth," Bruce said. In Pyongyang state media said the mood was festive as the nation marked the Day of the Sun, the anniversary of the birth of founding president Kim Il-Sung. Media called for unshakeable loyalty to the late founder's son and current ruler Kim Jong-Il, crediting him with what it called a successful satellite launch in defiance of international pressure. The communist party daily Rodong Sinmun praised his "incomparable courage and boldness" and termed the launch a "historic victory." The North claims it put a peaceful satellite into orbit, while the United States and its allies say it carried out a disguised missile test. In South Korea, defectors from the North marked the anniversary by floating leaflets across the border calling for the ousting of Kim Jong-Il. Nine defectors released 10 huge balloons carrying 100,000 flyers. These accused Kim of letting people starve so he could develop missiles and urged party cadres to "oppose and topple" him. The Security Council in a statement Monday condemned the rocket launch as violating a resolution passed after the North's 2006 missile and nuclear tests. It vowed tougher enforcement of sanctions contained in the 2006 resolution. South Korea said it does not oppose any direct US-North Korean talks to end the impasse. "We don't need to oppose dialogue between North Korea and the US if it is necessary," Unification Minister Hyun In-Taek told Yonhap news agency. But Washington should closely consult Seoul first, he cautioned. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
China looking to US on NKorea: analysts
Beijing (AFP) April 15, 2009China wants the United States to take on a more direct role with North Korea over its nuclear programme after losing some of its own influence on its neighbour, experts say. |
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