Friday, February 20, 2009

Endless North Korean diplomatic loop

U.S. Secretary of State Clinton, in her her maiden swing through Asia, chided North Korea: "North Korea is not going to get a different relationship with the United States while insulting and refusing dialogue with (South Korea)."

"We are calling on the government of North Korea to refrain from being provocative and unhelpful in a war of words that it has been engaged in because that is not very fruitful," she told reporters at a news conference with South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan.

Claudia Rosett, writing in Forbes, reminds us:

"In the 15 years since Kim Jong Il succeeded his Stalin-installed father, Kim Il Sung, the country's dynastic regime has proven one of the most monstrous and illegitimate on earth. And yet, America returns again and again to the bargaining table--haggling, bribing and thus dignifying and fortifying the government that is the source of both North Korea's agonies at home and its threats abroad.

" Pyongyang's routine is to commit to ending its nuclear habit--It's easy to quit! They've done it before!--rake in aid, cheat on the deal and repeat. So runs the endless diplomatic loop."

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