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North Korea Remains Defiant Over Nukes
Seoul, SKorea (UPI) Feb 10, 2006 A year ago, North Korea stunned the world by declaring itself a nuclear power, posing a major challenge to U.S.-led efforts to curb proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. North Korea's nuclear capability has yet to be scientifically verified, and the country is not known to have ever tested the nuclear weapons it claims to have developed. But Pyongyang's Feb. 10 declaration of nuclear possession has fueled security concerns on the Korean peninsula and northeast Asia where the United States deploys more than 70,000 troops. Surprised by the nuclear declaration, the United States, South Korea and other neighboring countries have consistently urged North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons drive in return for political and economic benefits. But the communist country remains defiant, vowing to keep its nuclear arsenal as a "self-defensive" measure against a possible strike from the United States. Hope was running high hope for the resolution of the nuclear crisis when a six-point statement was reached on Sept. 19, in which Pyongyang agreed to abandon its existing nuclear weapons in return for a U.S.-led pledge to provide light-water reactors. The hope, however, was largely dashed in the wake of U.S. punitive measures against the North's alleged financial illegalities in November, which triggered Pyongyang's furious response and boycott of the six-nation talks aimed at resolving the nuclear standoff in a diplomatic manner. In the face of growing pressures over its illicit activities such as counterfeiting and money-laundering, North Korea has recently stepped back from its earlier hard-line position by promising to join international efforts to fight money-laundering. But chances seem slim for an early resumption of the nuclear talks as the United States vows to deal with the financial crimes separately from the nuclear issue. Even if North Korea returns to the talks, the prospects for a solution appear dim as long as Pyongyang sticks to nuclear programs, citing "hostile" U.S. policy, according to analysts. On Thursday night, North Korea issued a statement denying U.S. allegations that the country has engaged in counterfeiting and money-laundering. In the statement, North Korea's Foreign Ministry also vowed to join an international fight against money-laundering, a move seemingly designed to cope with mounting U.S.-led pressures on its alleged financial illegalities. It was the first time the North has publicly promised to cooperate with international efforts to crack down on such financial illegalities. "The DPRK (North Korea) will, as ever, actively join the international action against money-laundering," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said in the statement reported by the North's official central news agency. "The DPRK has perfect legal and institutional mechanisms to combat such illegal acts as counterfeiting notes and money-laundering, and any illegal acts would make the perpetrators liable to severe punishment," it said. But the statement reiterated the North's earlier position that it will not return to the nuclear talks until the United States lifts its financial sanctions to show the dropping of its "hostile" policy towards the North. "The DPRK, which has long-survived U.S. sanctions, attaches so much importance to the lifting of the financial sanctions because it is a touchstone indicating whether Washington is willing to switch policy," it said. "Clear is the U.S. aim. That is to label the DPRK an 'illegal state,' tarnish its prestige and image, isolate and blockade it internationally and thus force it to abandon its nuclear program first," the statement said. "The point at issue is the U.S. attitude." The statement comes after South Korea and Japan have joined U.S. financial sanctions on North Korea. All three of the South Korean banks involved in correspondent banking deals with Banco Delta Asia cut off business transactions last week with the Macau-based bank which was accused by the U.S. Treasury Department of laundering money for North Korea. In a departure from Seoul's earlier soft position, Ambassador to Washington Lee Tae-sik said last week South Korea would not tolerate the North's financial crimes. "As far as these illicit activities by North Korea are concerned, there is no compromise position on our side," Lee told a group of business leaders in Washington. South Korean officials and analysts are increasingly skeptical about the resumption of nuclear talks before late March. They rule out a breakthrough in the nuclear standoff before a resolution of the sanction issue.
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EDO Receives Contract For F22 Aircraft Armament System
New York NY (SPX) Feb 13, 2006EDO has been awarded a contract from Lockheed Martin for continued production of its LAU-142/A AMRAAM Vertical Ejection Launcher, or AVEL, for the F-22 Raptor. |
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