Tensions Rise
North
Korea will no honor agreement
by Jack Wang, Writer
09.21.05 40 years after the establishment of the International
Atomic Energy Agency, one nation stands as the greatest obstacle to its goals.
Ever since North Korea announced its planned withdraw from the IAEA in 1993, the
delicate issue of nuclear proliferation has been the focal point of the high
tensions surrounding this peninsular nation.
On
Monday, September 19th 2005, North Korea announced its agreement to a
draft proposal from the six nation talks to abandon all nuclear weapons. Under
the accord, North Korea would permanently suspend the activity of all nuclear
facilities dispose of all nuclear weapons, and rejoin the IAEA. In the draft
written in Beijing, the US and South Korea agreed to not deploy any nuclear
weapons on the Korean peninsular. The United States and Japan vowed to normalize
relations with North Korean, and Japan, China, South Korea, US, and Russia
declared promises of economic cooperation with North Korea.
11
years ago however, the “Agreed Framework”, signed as a memorandum of
understanding between North Korea and the US spelled out an agreement where the
US would help North Korea build Light Water Reactors in return for agreeing to
give up its graphite-moderated nuclear power plants. Light water reactor power
plants use normal water as a cooling agent, and hence cannot create weapons
grade plutonium.
The
building of these plants was permanently suspended after 2003 as the US
maintained strong suspicions of a continuing North Korean Nuclear weapons
program.
The
Beijing statement writes that the subject of Light Water Reactors will be
discussed at “an appropriate time”, further specifying that the dismantling of
North Korean nuclear programs will lead to this discussion.
Less
than 24 hours after North Korea’s acceptance of the Beijing Statement, it
announces demands for building light water reactors as a prerequisite to the
dismantling of nuclear operations.
In
response, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov states “The text was very
carefully agreed upon and it was the subject of very difficult compromises, but
it clearly sets forth the consistency of steps which have to be taken so that we
might talk about cooperation in the development of nuclear energy in North
Korea.”
The
Chinese Foreign Ministry also agrees that procedures should be followed as
spelled out in the Beijing statement.
US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announces that “We will
stick to the text of the Beijing statement and I believe that we can make
progress if everybody sticks to what was actually agreed to,”
The North
Korean government responds with an attack on US motives. The Rodong Shinmun
government-run newspaper reports “The
ulterior intention of the US talking about settlement of the nuclear issue under
the pretext of the six-party talks is as clear as daylight, it intends to disarm
and crush us to death with nuclear weapons.”
However
this nuclear drama plays out, North Korea is in a dire state. The World Food
Program predicts that 6.5 million North Koreans are in desperate need of food.
The North Korean government resisting the proposition that would lead to
economic and food aid hardly helps the situation.
With five nations applying constant diplomatic pressure
and internal issues at hand, it is likely that a resolution will be made soon.
But in a world where consensus turns into utter discord in less than 24 hours,
it is impossible to predict the outcome of this decade long international
dilemma.
sources: Department of State, AP |
