McCain criticizes Clinton on N. Korea

[prophet]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061011/ap_on_go_co/us_nkorea_mccain_8;_ylt=Am_kVRyMSfWHPMhoTVGpOimCscEA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - Republican Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) on Tuesday accused former President Clinton, the husband of his potential 2008 White House rival, of failing to act in the 1990s to stop North Korea from developing nuclear weapons.

"I would remind Senator (Hillary) Clinton and other Democrats critical of the Bush administration's policies that the framework agreement her husband's administration negotiated was a failure," McCain said at a news conference after a campaign appearance for Republican Senate candidate Mike Bouchard.

[nelms]

[Larry]

Um, history question: (An honest one, not some loaded political trick posing as one.)

I was under the impression that NK was under some kind of agreement. They were receiving some kind of foreign aid (or some other payoff) in exchange for them staying out of the nuke business. (Don't remember if the agreement involved inspections, or was it just "they promise".)

And I thought that, when Bush took office, he stopped payment on their check, so to speak, called them the Axis of Evil, and then, when they backed out of the talks, renounced the non-proliferation treaty, announced that they were cancelling the cease-fire that ended the Korean War, opened the nuke processing facliities, fire missiles through Japan, and, five years later, conduct (and fail) a nuke test, they've got the balls to blame Clinton?

[nelms]

Um, history question: (An honest one, not some loaded political trick posing as one.)

I was under the impression that NK was under some kind of agreement. They were receiving some kind of foreign aid (or some other payoff) in exchange for them staying out of the nuke business. (Don't remember if the agreement involved inspections, or was it just "they promise".)

And I thought that, when Bush took office, he stopped payment on their check, so to speak, called them the Axis of Evil, and then, when they backed out of the talks, renounced the non-proliferation treaty, announced that they were cancelling the cease-fire that ended the Korean War, opened the nuke processing facliities, fire missiles through Japan, and, five years later, conduct (and fail) a nuke test, they've got the balls to blame Clinton?

Bill? Is that you? How's Monica?

[Larry]

deleted. Sorry

[Fred Jones]

Bill? Is that you? How's Monica?

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Hey, another Manchurian Candidate.

[Tarhog]

I'm not sure on the details. Its a curiousity of American politics that the only folks we don't blame for an oppressive regime seeking to acquire nuclear weapons while their people starve and dissenters are shot and buried in unmarked graves, are those running the regime itself.

I doubt seriously, regardless of what the Clinton Administration did or did not do, that we'd be facing a different situation today.

Diplomacy doesn't work with tyrants. I know thats shocking news to the UN, but I believe its true. They simply manipulate the system to achieve the ends they seek. Nor is a military approach much more effective - unless you're willing to back up your threats or take them to their logical end. Otherwise, its just saber-rattling that will, again, be used by despots to fuel/justify their actions to their own populace.

I blame the N. Korean 'government' and no one else.

[Fred Jones]

I blame the N. Korean 'government' and no one else.

The same is true in Iran. I don't blame Clinton or Bush for Iran. Iran is going to have nuclear weapons regardless of what the US does short of invasion or just bombing the country.

[twa]

Larry, maybe this will help?

http://www.wisconsinproject.org/countries/nkorea/nuke-miss-chron.htm

August 1997: Construction begins on two light-water nuclear reactors being built in North Korea as part of the 1994 Agreed Framework with the United States.

May 1998: Unhappy about the slow pace of activity under the Agreed Framework, it is reported that North Korea may reopen the nuclear reactor at Yongbyon.

June 1998: North Korea declares that it will continue to develop and export nuclear-capable missiles.

July 1998: The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) reports that North Korea is refusing to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors full access to its nuclear sites.

July 1998: Negotiators from the Korean Energy Development Organization (KEDO), the consortium building the two light-water nuclear reactors in North Korea under the 1994 Agreed Framework, reach a tentative agreement on sharing the cost of the construction.

August 1998: U.S. intelligence reports that North Korea is building a large underground facility that may be either a nuclear reactor or reprocessing plant.

March 1999: A U.S. Department of Energy intelligence report claims that North Korea is working on uranium enrichment techniques.

May 1999: A team of American nuclear specialists arrives in North Korea to begin an inspection of what is suspected of being an underground nuclear weapons site at Kumchangri.

July 1999: A U.S. intelligence report claims that North Korea has between 25 and 30 kilograms of weapon-grade plutonium, enough to make several nuclear warheads.

January 2000: It is reported that the Congo may be supplying North Korea with uranium in return for military training of its government forces.

February 2000: Two loans totalling $4.2 billion are made available to the Korean Energy Development Organization (KEDO) to build two nuclear reactors in North Korea. Although the project is still short $400 million, preparatory work is moving ahead.

June 2000: In the wake of a historic summit between the leaders of North and South Korea, the Clinton administration formally implements steps to ease economic sanctions against North Korea.

October 2000: The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) assesses that North Korea has produced enough plutonium for at least one, and possibly two, nuclear weapons.

back to top

[Larry]

'hog, and twa,

Thanks for the information.

(I'll freely admit that I've probably allowed my wish that I didn't need to pay attention to NK to cause me to ignore several things.)

'hog,

I suspect you're right. I know that I can't think of any way, diplomatically, to get NK out of the nuke business. The loon's made it pretty clear that he doesn't really care if his people are starving, so the usual forms of international bribary, I mean, economic incentives, really aren't workable options.

And as long as China's willing to give him military cover, then the military options really suck, too.

(Only scenario I could come up with that doesn't involve him getting nukes is that maybe when he did his test, some politicians lost some sleep and re-evaluated their positions, or maybe, if we can't bribe NK, we can bribe China into swatting the little pipsqueek for us. But we're already throwing money at China faster that they can really spend it. Only think I could see us offering them that they might consider as a big enough bribe would be Tiawan, and that's be a crappy deal.)

No, I don't really think that if we had a different President that things would be different. A different President wouldn't (IMO) change the economic or military options. (Although Presidential personality is a lot harder to judge. It's hard to imaging how a different President could possibly be more antagonistic to a lot of countries. But I really don't think most countries pay attention to how much they like a President, either. I'd bet, at that level, everybody's very pragmatic. They'd have to be.)

[cjcdaman]

I blame the N. Korean 'government' and no one else.

Although, I'm not sure what Clinton could have done, between getting BJ's and what not, I think twa's timeline tells you the cheating process N.K. went trhough under him.

[DeaconBlue]

Iran is going to have nuclear weapons regardless of what the US does short of invasion or just bombing the country.

My question is 1 are you cool with this? I realy hope not,. And 2 if we have to invade or bomb as you say are you willing to back the play regardless of whether it occurs under the administration of the opposing side of the aisle to yours or not?

[nelms]

(I'll freely admit that I've probably allowed my wish that I didn't need to pay attention to NK to cause me to ignore several things.)

Yeah, you ignored it so much that you attempted to put the blame solely on President Bush again, as you do most of the world's problems. :doh:

[spanishomelette]

Once again I agree with Tarhog. McCain is right that it was a failure, but the Ill one is to blame IMO not Clinton.

[cjcdaman]

Once again I agree with Tarhog. McCain is right that it was a failure, but the Ill one is to blame IMO not Clinton.

Originally quoted from twa's post . . .

Construction begins on two light-water nuclear reactors being built in North Korea as part of the 1994 Agreed Framework with the United States.

[redskingluvr]

Larry, maybe this will help?

http://www.wisconsinproject.org/countries/nkorea/nuke-miss-chron.htm

August 1997: Construction begins on two light-water nuclear reactors being built in North Korea as part of the 1994 Agreed Framework with the United States.

May 1998: Unhappy about the slow pace of activity under the Agreed Framework, it is reported that North Korea may reopen the nuclear reactor at Yongbyon.

June 1998: North Korea declares that it will continue to develop and export nuclear-capable missiles.

July 1998: The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) reports that North Korea is refusing to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors full access to its nuclear sites.

July 1998: Negotiators from the Korean Energy Development Organization (KEDO), the consortium building the two light-water nuclear reactors in North Korea under the 1994 Agreed Framework, reach a tentative agreement on sharing the cost of the construction.

August 1998: U.S. intelligence reports that North Korea is building a large underground facility that may be either a nuclear reactor or reprocessing plant.

March 1999: A U.S. Department of Energy intelligence report claims that North Korea is working on uranium enrichment techniques.

May 1999: A team of American nuclear specialists arrives in North Korea to begin an inspection of what is suspected of being an underground nuclear weapons site at Kumchangri.

July 1999: A U.S. intelligence report claims that North Korea has between 25 and 30 kilograms of weapon-grade plutonium, enough to make several nuclear warheads.

January 2000: It is reported that the Congo may be supplying North Korea with uranium in return for military training of its government forces.

February 2000: Two loans totalling $4.2 billion are made available to the Korean Energy Development Organization (KEDO) to build two nuclear reactors in North Korea. Although the project is still short $400 million, preparatory work is moving ahead.

June 2000: In the wake of a historic summit between the leaders of North and South Korea, the Clinton administration formally implements steps to ease economic sanctions against North Korea.

October 2000: The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) assesses that North Korea has produced enough plutonium for at least one, and possibly two, nuclear weapons.

back to top

Thx for the data and timeline twa. Looks like the problem started in 94, under clinton admin. We made nuke tech available to them and offered economic help to try to help them realize we were friends, as they cried out over a suffering economy and manufacturing sector due to not having enough power. They had weapons grade materials made 2 years before Bush even ran for office. They were making nukes as fast as they could from day one with the tech. It was STUPID to give it to them in the first place. Clinton tried to help them in an unwise manner and it backfired, then he tried to cover it with more help and a ceremony. He loved ceremonies. Some folks call them photo shoots.

If my memory and what little I know of the subject serves me correctly larry, clinton was under heavy political and media pressure by very vocal 'experts' on north korea. They blamed N Korea's view of us and poverty entirely on us and our 'failed policies', and advised this type of help to 'show them they did not need to fear us', blah blah blah. It was hogwash then, and the same guys r still trying to pass off the same hogwash. How they still get news media interviews I do not know. I guess ignorance is bliss to some.

Kim Ill is not dumb nor does he have fears we might attack him, he is very smart and played us like a drum. He got nuke tech out of a gullible pres, and turned it into weapons in a few years, less than 4. Dumb people who 'mispercieve us' don't do that, they r not capable.

Shows how fast we need to move with Iran. If not, in a year or two they could be doing the same thing, or warming up for bombing runs on Israel.

It is a bit humorous and reveals something that someone would think Bush policies somehow made them mad so they made nukes, when they were hard at it ever since we put the tech in their hands in 94. To top it off, we also put the delivery means, missile tech in their's and China's hands.

The ceremony to celebrate the newfound 'peace' was held outside the pentagon, at the ground to air defense missile and aircraft site across the highway from it. I was there. Bill smiled for the camera and cut a yellow ribbon to signify a new era, and decomissioned the entire ground to air defense system that day as an act of 'good will' in keeping with this new 'peace'. Meanwhile N Korea was building missiles and nukes and smiling as we removed our defense systems. If that system had been in place and fully operationl, there is a very good chance 911 would not have happened, the second plane and the one that hit the pentagon almost for certain would not have hit.

Personally, I do not think clinton was evil. I just think he was gullible, playable, and not that smart in certain areas. Now we have serious nuclear situation to deal with, and missile delivery tech out there in our's and Israel's enemies hands. That could possibly lead to WW3 and nuclear decimation of large portions of earth.:cool:

[Thiebear]

One of the largest Gulags in the world.

His own people starving to death

The number of prisoners held in the North Korean gulag is not known: one estimate is 200,000, held in 12 or more centres. Camp 22 is thought to hold 50,000.

The report accuses the North Korean government of distributing food unfairly, favoring those who are economically active and politically loyal.

"Some North Koreans, who were motivated by hunger to steal food grains or livestock, have been publicly executed," Amnesty International researcher Rajiv Narayan said.

The only people to blame are those within the Regime that have not killed him yet.

And of course (him).

[Sarge]

If we quit sending them "humanitarian aid" and just starve them to death, this problem would solve itself

[@DCGoldPants]

Its calling "Playing to your base" before a run for President.

Everybody knows that NK has been waiting until the weakest possible leadership from the West before they start testing this crap. While we're digging in the sad for a 20 year old petri dish that could have had anthrax in it, they're testing missles and appearing in movies made by the creators of southpark.

Its clear that 2 years after being labeled one of the "Axis of Evil" while nothing was being done about it, they knew it was all talk and they had a free pass while their accusers are worried about their secret prisions, gay marriage, and english as a national language. So 4 years later and nothing being done, here we are. Blaming 10 years ago.

Seriously, you can blame whoever you want. But, NK is their own country, and this is their doing. They were determined to have this technology,and unlike Iraq. Had the ability to get it from a number of different sources.

[Larry]

Um, folks,

I'll admit that what I knew about the subject was that we had a deal in place with NK (but I wasn't sure how well the deal was working), and that Bush trashed the deal. And I wasn't certain how much of the recent test was due to the trashing of the deal, and how much was simply the result of a long-term plan NK had that just happened to bear fruit five years into Bush's term.

That's why I asked, for example, whether the deal I was thinking of involved inspectors, for example. (Aparantly it did, since there are references to UN inspectors being harrassed, and to US inspections teams. So it would appear that the deal involved inspectors, but he was doing the Saddam Dance with them.)

I'll point out, twa's timeline begins in 97 and ends in 2000. So gee, every event in the timeline happened during Clinton's administration. But that doesn't mean that nothing happened in NK between '00 and last week.

-----

One thing I've also been wondering about is: Where's NK comming up with money for this stuff? It's not like he's got a multi-billion dollar oil for food program, with nations bidding to throw oil tankers full of international hard currency at him. And it's not like he can just sieze the vast wealth of his starving peasants.

Neither Uranium nor enrichment equipment strike me as cheap. Maybe there are people willing to just give him the knowledge cause they like the idea of a nuclear troublemaker, but there's some (I assume) expensive stuff involved that people are going to want hard cash for.

(Is China giving him the cash? Lord knows thay've got it, but I'd also think that they're investing a lot of their cash trying to build up their own economy.)

Although I'll also admit that I don't really know how much money's involved here, either. Is it millions? Heck, Ossamma's probably got millions, and he might just give it to them 'cause he likes the concept of a nuclear lunatic in a fragile part of the world (a part of the world with some growing muslim minorities.) Is it Billions? That cuts down on the number of possible funding suspects, so that it's likely that the money's comming from a country, although I could still see some folks in the mideast being able to scrape up that kind of money.

[Burgold]

Actually, I blame George Washington for not having the foresight to head off nuclear proliferation before the problem became a reality. You can fault the past, but you shouldn't live in it.

Here's the problem with the McCain whining. Mistakes were done in the past. It doesn't really matter whether it was well intentioned or stupid. Clinton was probably overly naive or optimistic or even stupid in his dealings with Korea. That being said, what's been done to deal with the problem? It's the same issue with Iraq. Regardless of whether we went in for the noble reasons, right reasons, or were mislead... what's most important is what we are doing and what we can do.

The Republicans have ruled the federal scene in totality for close to seven years. In those seven years what actions can he point to to correct the North Korean gaffes. Cutting off communication hasn't been all that productive with N. Korea or Iran. Calling them the axis of evil really doesn't seem all that smart either. Isn't it time they point to their successes or efforts instead of using the Way Back Machine.

[chomerics]

Larry, maybe this will help?

http://www.wisconsinproject.org/countries/nkorea/nuke-miss-chron.htm

August 1997: Construction begins on two light-water nuclear reactors being built in North Korea as part of the 1994 Agreed Framework with the United States.

May 1998: Unhappy about the slow pace of activity under the Agreed Framework, it is reported that North Korea may reopen the nuclear reactor at Yongbyon.

June 1998: North Korea declares that it will continue to develop and export nuclear-capable missiles.

July 1998: The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) reports that North Korea is refusing to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors full access to its nuclear sites.

July 1998: Negotiators from the Korean Energy Development Organization (KEDO), the consortium building the two light-water nuclear reactors in North Korea under the 1994 Agreed Framework, reach a tentative agreement on sharing the cost of the construction.

August 1998: U.S. intelligence reports that North Korea is building a large underground facility that may be either a nuclear reactor or reprocessing plant.

March 1999: A U.S. Department of Energy intelligence report claims that North Korea is working on uranium enrichment techniques.

May 1999: A team of American nuclear specialists arrives in North Korea to begin an inspection of what is suspected of being an underground nuclear weapons site at Kumchangri.

July 1999: A U.S. intelligence report claims that North Korea has between 25 and 30 kilograms of weapon-grade plutonium, enough to make several nuclear warheads.

January 2000: It is reported that the Congo may be supplying North Korea with uranium in return for military training of its government forces.

February 2000: Two loans totalling $4.2 billion are made available to the Korean Energy Development Organization (KEDO) to build two nuclear reactors in North Korea. Although the project is still short $400 million, preparatory work is moving ahead.

June 2000: In the wake of a historic summit between the leaders of North and South Korea, the Clinton administration formally implements steps to ease economic sanctions against North Korea.

October 2000: The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) assesses that North Korea has produced enough plutonium for at least one, and possibly two, nuclear weapons.

back to top

I find it strange that this "timeline" ends at 2000, and me thinks this is nothing more then a rouge to feed the wolves. . .

Actually, after doing a bit more "investigating", it appears that this website is nothing more then a spin machine masquarading as a service. They are still pimping the idea that Iraq has WMDs for cripes sakes. . .

Here is a timeline from a liberal site. . .

PRESIDENT REAGAN

Mid-1980s: First signs of North Korea nuclear program detected by US intelligence. [Link]

1986: North Korea produces plutonium in reactor. [Link]

PRESIDENT GEORGE H. W. BUSH

1991: US begins talks with North Korea to end to nuclear program. [Link]

1992: North Korea has separated an estimated 0-10kg of weapons-grade plutonium, enough for 1 to 2 bombs.

PRESIDENT CLINTON

1993: North Korea announces it will leave nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; US prepares to attack nuclear sites. [Link, Link]

1994: Clinton Administration reaches Agreed Framework, North Korea freezes nuclear production for the next eight years. [Link]

August 1998: North Korea tests medium-range “Taep’o-dong-1″ missile. [Link]

December 1998: North Korea warns they will test another missile, but pressure from US dissuades them. [Link]

September 1999: Pyongyang agrees to long-range missile moratorium. [Link]

October 2000: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is highest ranking US official to ever meet with Kim Jong Il.

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

March 6, 2001: Secretary of State Colin Powell says the administration will “pick up where President Clinton left off.” [Link]

March 7, 2001: President Bush undercuts Powell, declares negotiations will take on a different tone. [Link]

January 2002: Bush labels North Korea a member of the “Axis of Evil.” [Link]

March 2003: United States invades Iraq. [Link]

April 2003: North Korea withdraws from the Non-Proliferation Treaty; soon thereafter, they restart their reactor. [Link]

April 2005: North Korea appears to unload nuclear reactor with up to another 15 kg of weapons-grade plutonium. [Link]

September 19, 2005: In six-party talks North Korea agrees to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for incentives package. [Link]

September 19, 2005: US labels bank that provides financial support for North Korean Government Agencies as “money laundering concern.” Bank freezes North Korean assets; causes collapse of September 2005 agreement. [Link]

June 2006: North Korea is believed to have now produced enough plutonium for 4 to 13 nuclear bombs. [Link]

July 2006: North Korea tests missiles: one medium-range and five short-range. Medium-range “Taep’o-dong-2 fails. [Link]

October 3, 2006: Kim Jong Il announces North Korea plans to test nuclear weapons.

October 4, 2006: North Korea asserts that nuclear test is a measure to “bolstering its nuclear deterrent as a self-defense measure.” [Link]

Mid-2008: If North Korea unloads another batch of fuel, it may have enough nuclear material for 8 to 17 nuclear bombs. [Link]

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/10/07/nk-timeline/

The difference is of course that the liberal site has links, and from the initial investegation, whereas the other site doesn't link anything.

BTW, here is the wiki article on it with ANOTHER timeline, and I will list the things 'left out" from TWA's link. . .

2002

* 3-5 October: On a visit to the North Korean capital Pyongyang, US Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly presses the North on suspicions that it is continuing to pursue a nuclear energy and missiles programme. Mr Kelly says he has evidence of a secret uranium-enriching programme carried out in defiance of the 1994 Agreed Framework. Under this deal, North Korea agreed to forsake nuclear ambitions in return for the construction of two safer light water nuclear power reactors and oil shipments from the US.

* 16 October: The US announces that North Korea admitted in their talks to a secret nuclear arms programme.

* 17 October: Initially the North appears conciliatory. Leader Kim Jong-il says he will allow international weapons inspectors to check that nuclear facilities are out of use.

* 20 October: North-South Korea talks in Pyongyang are undermined by the North's nuclear programme "admission". US Secretary of State Colin Powell says further US aid to North Korea is now in doubt. The North adopts a mercurial stance, at one moment defiantly defending its "right" to weapons development and at the next offering to halt nuclear programmes in return for aid and the signing of a "non-aggression" pact with the US. It argues that the US has not kept to its side of the Agreed Framework, as the construction of the light water reactors - due to be completed in 2003 - is now years behind schedule.

* 14 November: US President George W Bush declares November oil shipments to the North will be the last if the North does not agree to put a halt to its weapons ambitions.

* 18 November: Confusion clouds a statement by North Korea in which it initially appears to acknowledge having nuclear weapons. A key Korean phrase understood to mean the North does have nuclear weapons could have been mistaken for the phrase "entitled to have", Seoul says.

* 27 November: The North accuses the US of deliberately misinterpreting its contested statement, twisting an assertion of its "right" to possess weapons into an "admission" of possession.

* 4 December: The North rejects a call to open its nuclear facilities to inspection.

* 11 December: North Korean-made Scud missiles are found aboard a ship bound for Yemen. The US illegally detains the ship, but is later forced to allow the ship to go, conceding that neither country has broken any law.

* 12 December: The North pledges to reactivate nuclear facilities for energy generation, saying the Americans' decision to halt oil shipments leaves it with no choice. It exposes the US for wrecking the 1994 pact.

* 13 December: North Korea asks the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to remove seals and surveillance equipment - the IAEA's "eyes and ears" on the North's nuclear status - from its Yongbyon power plant.

* 22 December: The North begins removing monitoring devices from the Yongbyon plant.

* 24 December: North Korea begins repairs at the Yongbyon plant. North-South Korea talks over reopening road and rail border links, which have been struggling on despite the increased tension, finally stall.

* 25 December: It emerges that North Korea had begun shipping fuel rods to the Yongbyon plant which could be used to produce plutonium.

* 26 December: The IAEA expresses concern in the light of UN confirmation that 1,000 fuel rods have been moved to the Yongbyon reactor.

* 27 December: North Korea says it is expelling the two IAEA nuclear inspectors from the country. It also says it is planning to reopen a reprocessing plant, which could start producing weapons grade plutonium within months.

[edit]

2003

* 2 January: South Korea asks China to use its influence with North Korea to try to reduce tension over the nuclear issue, and two days later Russia offers to press Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear programme.

* 6 January: The IAEA passes a resolution demanding that North Korea readmit UN inspectors and abandon its secret nuclear weapons programme "within weeks", or face possible action by the UN Security Council.

* 7 January: The US says it is "willing to talk to North Korea about how it meets its obligations to the international community". But it "will not provide quid pro quos to North Korea to live up to its existing obligations".

* 9 January: North Korea agrees to hold cabinet-level talks with South Korea on 21 January.

* 10 January: North Korea announces it will withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

* 24 January: Cabinet-level talks between North and South Korea end without making progress. South Korean President-elect Roh Moo-hyun proposes face-to-face meeting with Kim Jong-il.

* 28 January: In his annual State of the Union address, President Bush alleges North Korea is "an oppressive regime [whose] people live in fear and starvation". He accuses North Korea of deception over its nuclear ambitions and says "America and the world will not be blackmailed".

* 29 January: North Korea says Mr Bush's speech is an "undisguised declaration of aggression to topple the DPRK system" and dubs him a "shameless charlatan". At the same time, however, it reiterates its demand for bilateral talks on a non-aggression pact.

* 31 January: Unnamed American officials are quoted as saying that spy satellites have tracked movement at the Yongbyon plant throughout January, prompting fears that North Korea is trying to reprocess plutonium for nuclear bombs.

* White House spokesman Ari Fleischer delivers a stern warning that North Korea must not take "yet another provocative action... intended to intimidate and blackmail the international community".

* 4 February: The United States says it is considering new military deployments in the Pacific Ocean to back up its forces in South Korea, as a deterrent against any North Korean aggression, in the event that the US unleashes aggression on Iraq.

* 5 February: North Korea says it has reactivated its nuclear facilities and their operations are now going ahead "on a normal footing".

* 6 February: North Korea warns the United States that any decision to build up its troops in the region could lead the North to make a pre-emptive attack on American forces.

* 12 February: The IAEA finds North Korea in breach of nuclear safeguards and refers the matter to the UN security council.

* 16 February: Kim Jong-il celebrates his 61st birthday, but state media warns North Korean citizens to be on "high alert".

* 17 February: The US and South Korea announce that they will hold joint military exercises in March.

* 24 February: North Korea fires a missile into the sea between South Korea and Japan.

* 25 February: Roh Moo-hyun sworn in as South Korean president.

* 2 March: Four North Korean fighter jets intercept a US reconnaissance plane in international air space and shadow it for 22 minutes.

* 10 March: North Korea fires a second missile into the sea between South Korea and Japan in as many weeks.

* 22 March: As a blistering bombing campaign pounds the Iraqi capital, and South Korean and US forces perform military exercises on its doorstep, a jumpy North denounces their "confrontational posture" and calls off talks with the South.

* 1 April: The US announces that "stealth" fighters sent to South Korea for a training exercise are to stay on once the exercises end.

* 7 April: Ministerial talks between North and South Korea are cancelled after Pyongyang fails to confirm they would take place.

* 9 April: The United Nations Security Council expresses concern about North Korea's nuclear programme, but fails to condemn Pyongyang for pulling out of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.

* 12 April: In a surprise move, North Korea signals it may be ready to end its insistence on direct talks with the US, announcing that "if the US is ready to make a bold switchover in its Korea policy for a settlement of the nuclear issue, [North Korea] will not stick to any particular dialogue format".

* 18 April: North Korea announces that it has started reprocessing its spent fuel rods. The statement is later amended to read that Pyongyang has been "successfully going forward to reprocess" the rods.

* 23 April: Talks begin in Beijing between the US and North Korea, hosted by China. The talks are led by the US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian affairs, James Kelly, and the deputy director general of North Korea's American Affairs Bureau, Li Gun.

* 24 April: American officials say Pyongyang has told them that it now has nuclear weapons, after the first direct talks for months between the US and North Korea in Beijing end a day early.

* 25 April: Talks end amid mutual recrimination, after the US says North Korea had made its first admission that it possessed nuclear weapons.

* 28 April: US Secretary of State Colin Powell says North Korea made an offer to US officials, during the talks in Beijing, to scrap its nuclear programme in exchange for major concessions from the United States. He does not specify what those concessions are, but reports say that Pyongyang wants normalised relations with the US and economic assistance. Mr Powell says Washington is studying the offer.

* 5 May: North Korea demands the US respond to what it terms the "bold proposal" it made during the Beijing talks.

* 12 May: North Korea says it is scrapping a 1992 agreement with the South to keep the peninsula free from nuclear weapons - Pyongyang's last remaining international agreement on non-proliferation.

* 15 May: South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun meets US President George W Bush in Washington for talks on how to handle North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

* 2 June: A visiting delegation of US congressmen led by Curt Weldon says North Korean officials admitted the country had nuclear weapons had "just about completed" reprocessing 8,000 spent fuel rods which would allow it to build more.

* 9 June: North Korea says publicly that it will build a nuclear deterrent, "unless the US gives up its hostile policy".

* 13 June: South Korea's Yonhap news agency says North Korean officials told the US on 30 June that it had completed reprocessing the fuel rods.

* 18 June: North Korea says it will "put further spurs to increasing its nuclear deterrent force for self-defence".

* 9 July: South Korea's spy agency says North Korea has started reprocessing a "small number" of the 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods at Yongbyon.

* 1 August: North Korea agrees to six-way talks on its nuclear programme, South Korea confirms. The US, Japan, China and Russia will also be involved.

* 27-29 August: Six-nation talks in Beijing on North Korea's nuclear programme. The meeting fails to bridge the gap between Washington and Pyongyang. Delegates agree to meet again.

* 2 October: North Korea announces publicly it has reprocessed the spent fuel rods.

* 16 October: North Korea says it will "physically display" its nuclear deterrent.

* 30 October: North Korea agrees to resume talks on the nuclear crisis, after saying it is prepared to consider the US offer of a security guarantee in return for ending its nuclear programme.

* 21 November: Kedo, the international consortium formed to build 'tamper-proof' nuclear power plants in North Korea, decides to suspend the project.

* 9 December: North Korea offers to "freeze" its nuclear programme in return for a list of concessions from the US. It says that unless Washington agrees, it will not take part in further talks. The US rejects North Korea's offer. President George W Bush says Pyongyang must dismantle the programme altogether.

* 27 December: North Korea says it will take part in a new round of six-party talks on its nuclear programme in early 2004.

[edit]

2004

* 2 January: South Korea confirms that the North has agreed to allow a group of US experts, including a top nuclear scientist, visit Yongbyon nuclear facility.

* 10 January: The unofficial US team visits what the North calls its "nuclear deterrent" facility at Yongbyon.

* 22 January: US nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker tells Congress that the delegates visiting Yongbyon were shown what appeared to be weapons-grade plutonium, but he did not see any evidence of a nuclear bomb.

* 3 February: North Korea reports that the next round of six-party talks on the nuclear crisis will be held on 25 February.

* 25 February: Second round of six nation talks end without breakthrough in Beijing.

* 23 May: The UN atomic agency is reported to be investigating allegations that North Korea secretly sent uranium to Libya when Tripoli was trying to develop nuclear weapons.

* 23 June: Third round of six nation talks held in Beijing, with the US making a new offer to allow North Korea fuel aid if it freezes then dismantles its nuclear programmes.

* 2 July: US Secretary of State Colin Powell meets the North Korean Foreign Minister, Paek Nam-sun, in the highest-level talks between the two countries since the crisis erupted.

* 24 July: North Korea rejects US suggestions that it follow Libya's lead and give up its nuclear ambitions, calling the US proposal a "daydream".

* 3 August: North Korea is in the process of developing a new missile system for ships or submarines, according to a report in Jane's Defence Weekly.

* 16 August: North Korea says it will not attend a working meeting ahead of the next round of six-party talks on its controversial nuclear programme, saying the US was "not interested in making the dialogue fruitful".

* 23 August: North Korea describes US President George W Bush as an "imbecile" and a "tyrant that puts Hitler in the shade", in response to comments President Bush made describing the North's Kim Jong-il as a "tyrant".

* 28 September: North Korea says it has turned plutonium from 8,000 spent fuel rods into nuclear weapons. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Su-hon said the weapons were needed for "self-defence" against "US nuclear threat".

[edit]

2005

* 14 January: North Korea says it is willing to restart stalled talks on its nuclear programme, according to the official KCNA news agency. The statement says North Korea "would not stand against the US but respect and treat it as a friend unless the latter slanders the former's system and interferes in its internal affairs".

* 19 January: Condoleezza Rice, President George W Bush's nominee as secretary of state, identifies North Korea as one of six "outposts of tyranny" where the US must help bring freedom.

* 10 February: North Korea says it is suspending its participation in the talks over its nuclear programme for an "indefinite period", blaming the Bush administration's intention to "antagonise, isolate and stifle it at any cost". The statement also repeats North Korea's assertion to have built nuclear weapons for self-defence.

* 18 April: South Korea says North Korea has shut down its Yongbyon reactor, a move which could allow it to extract more fuel for nuclear weapons.

* 1 May: North Korea fires a short-range missile into the Sea of Japan, on the eve of a meeting of members of the international Non-Proliferation Treaty.

* 11 May: North Korea says it has completed extraction of spent fuel rods from Yongbyon, as part of plans to "increase its nuclear arsenal".

* 16 May: North and South Korea hold their first talks in 10 months, with the North seeking fertiliser for its troubled agriculture sector.

* 25 May: The US suspends efforts to recover the remains of missing US servicemen in North Korea, saying restrictions placed on its work were too great.

* 7 June: China's envoy to the UN says he expects North Korea to rejoin the six-nation talks "in the next few weeks".

* 22 June: North Korea requests more food aid from the South during ministerial talks in Seoul, the first for a year.

* 9 July: North Korea says it will rejoin nuclear talks, as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice begins a tour of the region.

* 12 July: South Korea offers the North huge amounts of electricity as an incentive to end its nuclear weapons programme.

* 25 July: Fourth round of six-nation talks begins in Beijing.

* 7 August: The talks reach deadlock and a recess is called.

* 13 September: Talks resume, but a new North Korean request to be built a light water reactor prompts warnings of a "standoff" between the parties.

* 19 September: In what is initially hailed as an historic joint statement, North Korea agrees to give up all its nuclear activities and rejoin the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, while the US says it had no intention of attacking.

* 20 September: North Korea says it will not scrap its nuclear programme until it is given a civilian nuclear reactor, undermining the joint statement and throwing further talks into doubt.

* 7 December: A senior US diplomat brands North Korea a "criminal regime" involved in arms sales, drug trafficking and currency forgery.

* 20 December: North Korea says it intends to resume building nuclear reactors, because the US had pulled out of a key deal to build it two new reactors.

[edit]

2006

* 12 April: A two-day meeting aimed at persuading North Korea to return to talks on its nuclear programme fails to resolve the deadlock.

* 26 June: A report by the Institute for Science and International Security estimates that current North Korea plutonium stockplies is sufficient for four to thirteen nuclear weapons.

* 3 July: Washington dismisses a threat by North Korea that it will launch a nuclear strike against the US in the event of an American attack, as a White House spokesman described the threat as "deeply hypothetical".

* 4 July: North Korea test-fires at least six missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2, despite repeated warnings from the international community.

* 5 July: North Korea test-fires a seventh missile, despite international condemnation of its earlier launches. [9]

* 6 July: North Korea announces it would continue to launch missiles, as well as "stronger steps", if international countries were to apply additional pressure as a result of the latest missile launches, claiming it to be their sovereign right to carry out these tests. A US television network also reports that they have quoted intelligence sources in saying that North Korea is readying another Taepodong-2 long-range missile for launch. [10]

* 3 October: North Korea announces plans to test a nuclear weapon in the future, blaming "hostile US policy." [11] Their full text can be read here [12]

* 5 October: A US envoy directly threatens North Korea as to the upcoming test, stating "It (North Korea) can have a future or it can have these (nuclear) weapons, it cannot have them both." The envoy also mentions that any attempt to test a nuclear device would be seen as a "highly provocative act." [13]

* 6 October: The United Nations Security Council issues a statement declaring, "The Security Council urges the DPRK not to undertake such a test and to refrain from any action that might aggravate tension, to work on the resolution of non-proliferation concerns and to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through political and diplomatic efforts. Later in the day, there are unconfirmed reports of the North Korean government successfully testing a nuclear bomb." [14]

* 9 October: North Korea announces that it has performed its first-ever nuclear weapon test. The country's official Korean Central News Agency said the test was performed successfully and there was no radioactive leakage from the site. South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the test was conducted at 10:36 a.m. (1:36 a.m. GMT) in Hwaderi near Kilju city, citing defense officials. The USGS detected an earthquake with a preliminary estimated magnitude of 4.2 at 41.311°N, 129.114°E [15]. The USGS coordinate indicates that the location in much north of Hwaderi, near the upper stream of Oran-chon, 17km NNW of Punggye-Yok, according to analysts [reports].

* 10 October: Some western scientists had doubts as to whether the nuclear weapon test that took place on 9 October 2006 was in fact successful. The scientists cite that the measurements recorded only showed an explosion equivalent to 500 metric tons of TNT, as compared to the 1998 nuclear tests that India and Pakistan conducted which were from between 24 - 50 times more powerful. [16] This could indicate that the test resulted in a fizzle.

Kind of funny how TWAs link leaves all that stuff out huh :laugh:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction

[chomerics]

blah, blah, blah. . .

Clinton's fault. . . says the man quoting the worst leader our country has ever seen in his sig :laugh:

[Bang]

deleted. Sorry

Oh, I would have liked to have read this.

:laugh:

~Bang

[Bang]

Diplomacy doesn't work with tyrants. I know thats shocking news to the UN, but I believe its true. They simply manipulate the system to achieve the ends they seek. Nor is a military approach much more effective - unless you're willing to back up your threats or take them to their logical end. Otherwise, its just saber-rattling that will, again, be used by despots to fuel/justify their actions to their own populace.

I blame the N. Korean 'government' and no one else.

True, but I can't blame them for trying. If we're to be civilized, then the civilized approach is necessary before barbarity sets in.

And shame on you for expecting people to be responsible for their own actions.. Don't you know everything is someone else's fault?

It's the First Law of the 21st century.

~Bang