|
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government is downplaying the significance of a North Korean statement claiming possession of nuclear weapons and declaring its indefinite withdrawal from six-party talks on its nuclear program. Washington says Pyongyang¡¯s statement contain "nothing new" and will only to isolate the Stalinist country further.
But the U.S. has also revealed a degree of hard-headedness in its refusal to change its North Korea policy and insistence on resolving the nuclear issue through the six-party format. The response suggests that Washington views the statement as essentially negotiating rhetoric, and analysts believe it will move forward by putting pressure on Pyongyang to rejoin the talks, and that it will do this by intensifying its cooperation with other governments involved.
"We've heard this kind of rhetoric from North Korea before... We remain committed to a peaceful, diplomatic resolution to the nuclear issue with regards to North Korea," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Friday. U.S. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli had much the same message. "There's nothing new factually other than the existence of a statement to add to the mix,¡± he said. ¡°The fact of the matter is that we, for a long time, have operated on the assumption that North Korea has a nuclear capability and it has been our longstanding intelligence community assessment that North Korea has produced one and possibly two nuclear weapons." He added the State Department felt no need to reconsider its North Korea policies.
¡ß Stress principles and press for a return to the six-party talks.
Washington appears to be playing for time to gain a grasp of the situation and get the talks restarted. While U.S. government officials have not spoken directly of North Korea¡¯s intentions, Korea experts have offered a diversity of opinions. Balbina Hwang of the Heritage Foundation said the statement was linked to North Korean brinkmanship tactics, aimed at increasing Pyongyang's leverage with the United States.
The Asia Foundation's Scott Snyder, by contrast, said the statement was intended to put pressure on China, which had been trying to convince North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions. Larry A. Niksch, meanwhile, an Asia specialist with the Congressional Research Service, said the remarks aimed to lower the expectations of the international community and to split South Korea, China and Russia from the United States.
Meanwhile, CNN said the U.S. would watch nuclear developments in both North Korea and Iran closely while stepping up talks with other involved nations.
¡ß Drawn-out war of words strengthens hardliners
The question is how the U.S. would respond should North Korea continue to turn its back on the six-party talks. The New York Times said Friday the statement ¡°left China, the United States and its allies to debate whether diplomacy could still persuade the North Koreans to give up the nuclear option." The paper forecast that the declaration would strengthen the position of neocon hardliners within the U.S. government.
The Washington Post said, "There is little sentiment within the administration for making concessions to North Korea. If the talks do not resume, the administration could face a tough struggle to get the issue before the U.N. Security Council." Charles Pritchard, former U.S. special envoy to North Korea, offered the opinion, "They still have Iran on their hands, and I don't think they can take North Korea on in a confrontational manner." Nevertheless, many worry that a prolonged digging in of heels by the North will only encourage the U.S. to take a more hardline position.
(Heo Yong-beom heo@chosun.com )
|
