NKorea thanks US over piracy standoff By JAE-SOON CHANG, Associated Press Writer
37 minutes ago
SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea is grateful to the United States for helping the crew of a North Korean cargo ship fight off pirates in waters off Somalia, the North's official news agency said Thursday.
The North's Korean Central News Agency said the incident was a "symbol of cooperation" between the two countries "in the struggle against terrorism."
Last week, the U.S. Navy boarded the North Korean ship Dai Hong Dan to provide medical assistance at the crew's invitation after they had already overpowered and detained all pirates.
"The pirates' recent armed attack on our trading ship was a grave terrorist act perpetrated against a peaceful ship," KCNA said. "We feel grateful to the United States for its assistance given to our crewmen."
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US: N. Korea Cooperating to Disable Nukes
By JAE-SOON CHANG
Associated Press Writer
US: N. Korea Cooperating to Disable Nukes
INCHEON, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea is cooperating with U.S. experts to disable its nuclear weapons-making facilities, a U.S. diplomat said Tuesday after a trip to the communist nation to oversee the start of the work this week.
Sung Kim, the State Department's top expert on Korea, said North Korean officials were "very cooperative" and that work on disablement had begun at three major facilities at the main Yongbyon nuclear complex, 60 miles north of Pyongyang. That includes a 5-megawatt reactor that can generate plutonium for bombs, and nuclear fuel fabrication and reprocessing plants.
"I think we are off to a good start and will look forward to completing the task by the end of the year as planned," Kim said after arriving in Seoul following a visit to Yongbyon.
"Our North Korean colleagues have actually done considerable preparatory work on all three facilities. So we were able to start at least some of the disablement activities this week," he said.
The U.S. and other countries have declined to publicly state how North Korea's nuclear weapons facilities will be disabled, only saying that about 10 technical measures will be taken to disable them. Kim said he expects one of the steps will be completed this week.
The main U.S. envoy to arms talks with the North, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, has said the experts would take steps that would mean it would take at least a year for the reactor to be restarted.
The North shut down its sole operational reactor at Yongbyon in July and promised to disable it by year's end in exchange for energy aid and political concessions from other countries involved in talks on its nuclear program: the U.S., China, Japan, South Korea and Russia.
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and what about the change President Nicolas Sarkozy has brought--quite a diff view and relations than Chirac--and ditto Merkle/Shroeder in Germany.
Hmmm --wrong direction--I would beg to differ--
37 minutes ago
SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea is grateful to the United States for helping the crew of a North Korean cargo ship fight off pirates in waters off Somalia, the North's official news agency said Thursday.
The North's Korean Central News Agency said the incident was a "symbol of cooperation" between the two countries "in the struggle against terrorism."
Last week, the U.S. Navy boarded the North Korean ship Dai Hong Dan to provide medical assistance at the crew's invitation after they had already overpowered and detained all pirates.
"The pirates' recent armed attack on our trading ship was a grave terrorist act perpetrated against a peaceful ship," KCNA said. "We feel grateful to the United States for its assistance given to our crewmen."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
US: N. Korea Cooperating to Disable Nukes
By JAE-SOON CHANG
Associated Press Writer
US: N. Korea Cooperating to Disable Nukes
INCHEON, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea is cooperating with U.S. experts to disable its nuclear weapons-making facilities, a U.S. diplomat said Tuesday after a trip to the communist nation to oversee the start of the work this week.
Sung Kim, the State Department's top expert on Korea, said North Korean officials were "very cooperative" and that work on disablement had begun at three major facilities at the main Yongbyon nuclear complex, 60 miles north of Pyongyang. That includes a 5-megawatt reactor that can generate plutonium for bombs, and nuclear fuel fabrication and reprocessing plants.
"I think we are off to a good start and will look forward to completing the task by the end of the year as planned," Kim said after arriving in Seoul following a visit to Yongbyon.
"Our North Korean colleagues have actually done considerable preparatory work on all three facilities. So we were able to start at least some of the disablement activities this week," he said.
The U.S. and other countries have declined to publicly state how North Korea's nuclear weapons facilities will be disabled, only saying that about 10 technical measures will be taken to disable them. Kim said he expects one of the steps will be completed this week.
The main U.S. envoy to arms talks with the North, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, has said the experts would take steps that would mean it would take at least a year for the reactor to be restarted.
The North shut down its sole operational reactor at Yongbyon in July and promised to disable it by year's end in exchange for energy aid and political concessions from other countries involved in talks on its nuclear program: the U.S., China, Japan, South Korea and Russia.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
and what about the change President Nicolas Sarkozy has brought--quite a diff view and relations than Chirac--and ditto Merkle/Shroeder in Germany.
Hmmm --wrong direction--I would beg to differ--
