In The News

Chinese Aide Says U.S. Is Obstacle in Korean Talks

Joseph Kahn September 2, 2003
With North Korea balking at holding another round of talks, diplomatic maneuvers are underway to coax it back to the table. A Chinese official who hosted multilateral talks in Beijing last week said that the discussions were stymied by Washington's insistence that Pyongyang dismantle its nuclear program before other issues are addressed. Wang Yi, vice minister of foreign affairs, called on...

Korea: The Hexagon of Uncertainty

Francesco Sisci August 30, 2003
The six-way talks on North Korea's nuclear program made significant headway, even if the communist country did threaten to test a nuclear bomb. This article in the Asia Times notes that amidst much of its usual belligerent rhetoric, North Korea backed down on two previous demands by partaking in the talks, simultaneously giving up on bilateral negotiations with the US and meeting without a...

North Korea Says it Plans to Test Nukes

Yuri Kageyama August 28, 2003
Tensions may be higher now than at the start of the six-way meeting on North Korea's nuclear program. North Korean foreign minister Kim Yong-Il accused Japanese and Russian delegates of lying at the instruction of the United States when they tried to point out positive aspects of the American presentation. He then said that North Korea intends to formally declare that it has nuclear...

Iran Admits Foreign Help on Nuclear Facility

Joby Warrick August 27, 2003
The UN nuclear watchdog agency – the IAEA – noted many improvements in the quality of information and cooperation Iran gave them during inspections last month. However, environmental samples taken from nuclear facilities outside Tehran tested positive for enriched uranium, a key ingredient in the manufacture of nuclear weapons. In an effort to explain the test results, Iran deviated greatly...

To Tackle Global Terrorism, Target the Local Roots

Janadas Deyan August 27, 2003
Bombs are going off around the world – in Mumbai, Jakarta, Jerusalem, and Baghdad – yet the stock markets are rising and the US has declared that it is winning the war on terrorism. According to this commentary in The Straits Times, the reason for this paradox is that none of these attacks compare with September 11. Washington, the author notes, is primarily interested in preventing a...

US, North Korea Far Apart as Negotiators Meet in Beijing

Reuters August 27, 2003
As six-way talks begin in Beijing on August 27, all participants – excepting North Korea – agree on one thing: the Korean peninsula must remain nuclear free. Aside from this fundamental point, however, all participants remain divided about the appropriate course of action. North Korea continues to demand security guarantees before dismantling its program and the United States refuses to make...

UN Agency Still Probing Iran's Enriched Uranium

Louis Charbonneau August 26, 2003
A recent report from the UN nuclear watchdog agency was optimistic about Iran's increased cooperation in recent months, but was riddled with doubts about the country's nuclear ambitions. In the report, the IAEA praised Iran because it "has demonstrated an increased degree of cooperation in relation to the amount and detail of information provided to the agency and in allowing...