Ambassador Rice: We're Unified With China on Stopping N. Korean Nukes
By Susie Madrak Monday Apr 06, 2009 7:45am
On "This Week", George Stephanopoulos asks Susan Rice, our U.N. Ambassador, about which avenues the U.S. will pursue after North Korea's missile launch:
STEPHANOPOULOS: Is the United States prepared to pressure China?
RICE: We're working very closely with China. China shares the same goal that we do, which is a de-nuclearized Korean Peninsula. China also is very proximate, on the border with North Korea, and shares our desire not to see this situation escalate, and to ensure that we can achieve, George, the long-term goal, which is de- nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through the six-party talk process.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But because China is right on the border of North Korea, they've been reluctant to really pressure North Korea. They're afraid that if you turn the screws too hard on North Korea, the regime is going to collapse and there's going to be chaos.
And is that why they are not going along with tougher sanctions?
RICE: Well, I think they have multiple concerns. They are looking at the large long-term goal of ensuring that we don't have a nuclearized Korean Peninsula. There have been times when we have differed as to the best means of achieving that.
But we are unified with China and others in the six parties towards the goal, George, of ensuring that we roll back this nuclear program that North Korea is pursuing.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But is there any evidence at all that North Korea is going to respond to any of this? They've been steadily adding to their nuclear program, in fits and starts at times, but basically they've been able, over the last eight years or so, to develop a nuclear capability, to develop nuclear warheads, and they seem determined to keep going on that track. RICE: Well, George, it is fits and starts. I mean, there have been steps that have occurred over the last years that have been progress. For example, they did take steps to dismantle the facility at Yongbyon, which was the principal reactor.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But then they restarted it.
RICE: No. We have seen some serious dismantlement. The problem that we face now is ensuring that there is a verifiable regime to ensure de-nuclearization. And that's where the six-party talks have now stalled.
The challenge, George, is to convey with unity, as the president said today, on behalf of the international community that we will not stand for violations of international law which this launch today represented. That there will be consequences. And that, indeed, we will pursue together with resolve the goal of achieving a Korean Peninsula without nuclear weapons.STEPHANOPOULOS: But you can't say yet what those consequences will be. And there is no guarantee that the U.N. today or over the course of next week is going to impose sanctions on North Korea...
(CROSSTALK)
RICE: George, we need to continue to work closely with our allies Japan and South Korea, with partners in the Security Council to achieve united action. And that's what we will do.
STEPHANOPOULOS: What bothers the United States more, the chaos if this regime collapsed or the current regime?
RICE: Our concern is to prevent North Korea from pursuing and disseminating nuclear weapons. We view North Korea as a proliferation threat. Its actions today underscore our concern about its development of not only a nuclear weapons capability, but the capability to deliver it. That's what we're most concerned about preventing, and preventing North Korea from sharing that technology with others.
STEPHANOPOULOS: One more question on this, you talk about the capability to deliver a nuclear warhead. The Northern Command said the satellite -- no satellite was sent into orbit. But this test did seem to be more successful than the last North Korean test, the stages the rocket did get over Japan.
Are you now convinced -- is the United States now convinced that the North Koreans have a missile that could reach the United States?
RICE: I think, George, what today's experience showed is that they did not succeed according to our best assessment to putting that space launch vehicle into orbit. That, therefore, was something short of success for North Korea.
Our assessment is that their pursuit of a missile capability is of grave concern and that their aim is to achieve the capability to deliver a weapon as potentially as -- to North America.
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The best way to influence other countries to eliminate their nukes is to lead by example and eliminate ours.
But how else can threaten destruction on other countries without nukes?
Seriously though, I agree with ya...every nuke should be destroyed.
I think we have enough weapons that no one would want to mess with us, even if we didn't have nukes.
Look at all the weapons technology we have...
do you think any foreign leader would want to mess with us. He'd wake up and find a predator drone firing a missile up his ass, with little or no warning.
that N. Korea can lob 500,000 artillery rounds PER HOUR into S. Korea. But then, we can lob 200 nukes into N. Korea in 10 minutes. What a lovely world we live in.
is QUITE formmidable...but all the bright and shiny gadgets ain't gonna help against overwhelming numbers.
As for what foreign leaders want to do...I can't say...but I'm betting that there are more than a few who would love to see our country a smoldering ruin.
Ya everyone wants to wipe us out, but I think we have enough weapon technology to deter other countries from attacking us, even if we didn't have Nukes
not everyone wants us eliminated...and from what I've heard. Alot of our equipment has been destroyed in Iraq over the last few years.
Deserts tend to chew up and spit out mechanized stuff.
The idiot bush has squandered our resources to a frightening level.
South Korea and Taiwan. Conventional weapons along may not be sufficient to protect these countries' sovereignty. As far as I know, there are still US troops along South Korea's border with the North and the North has more than enough men to wipe our garrisons out and take the south.
and virtually no air power so I doubt they'd do much more than saber rattling. It is very unlikely that they could take South Korea without Chinese support and I don't think they'll get it.
North Korea has a standing army of 1.1 million, more than 4 million reserves, 8,000-12,000 artillery (some with the range to hit Seoul) and chemical weapons.
degraded industrial capacity and severe shortages of raw materials, food and most importantly fuel. Even if they have stockpiled military reserves of food and fuel I very much doubt that they will be able to move them. Saddam had one of the best air defense systems in the world and it didn't help him. The Koreans have nothing so sophisticated and very difficult terrain. My money wouldn't be on North Korea.
that North Korea cannot overrun the South before its logistical problems stall its military. South Korea just isn't that far for the North to travel, for one thing.
For another, something on the order of 2 million North Koreans have starved to death or died of malnutrition related illnesses. Diverting necessary resources to support an invasion will cause civilan deaths in the North. That's not something the North Korean government cares about, though.
can we raise the consciousness a bit in here? this reads like a goddamned neocon blog.
That One, "everyone wants to wipe us out"
Actually, that is not true. They just want you to stop being such assholes.
"I think we have enough weapons that no one would want to mess with us, even if we didn't have nukes."
But as you lost in Vietnam and are losing in Afghanistan, and Iraq was a disaster (and is hanging in some kind of limbo), I'm not sure that argument is very good.
BTW, I am anit-nukes. I think it's OK for a country to have a smallish standing army, etc., and that's it.
30 years ago when I was in the USAF, I was riding a bus and sitting next to me was a WWI veteran. The old vet shared with me how he wished that someday there would be a weapon so terrible that man would be afraid to use it, ensuring peace. He belived that the A/H-bomb was that weapon.
To this day, only Japan has suffered from the A/H-bomb and it has ensured peace between the East (USSR) and West. It has also ensured that no nation has ever threatened the West.
I am not so sure getting rid of all nukes will ensure that others won't try to develop and use them. The fact that both India and Pakistan have nukes has prevented them from fighting each other. Maybe nukes are peaceful.
The way to stop wars is to pass a Constitutional law that the rich/elite (the loudest warmonger ones) are the very first ones conscripted.
Will all other countries pass the same laws? Will these laws always be enforced? How are the rich/elites to be defined? I can think of several other objections off the top of my head, including, of course, the fact that the law will never be enacted.
Duh. Of course I know it's not going to happen, but you got my drift, right?
It's not the average working stiff that calls for war, not until they are aroused and angered by propaganda. I mean, when you go to sleep at night, tell me how many N. Koreans you worry about.
My point was that focusing only on America's militarism will not end wars, even if you could somehow create a pacifist US society.
I was hoping in all countries. Let the MICs, the elites, the lawmakers making the noise, let them go first.
Every country has a few Bill Kristols we
couldwould gladly spare.In "For Us The Living" the US is a utopian society. When it comes to war, in order to mobilize forces for anything longer than a set period (I think 30 days) off of US soil, required a vote, not of congress, but of population. Only people eligible for military service would be given the right to vote in this referrendum, and if it passed, anyone who voted yes was immediately enlisted, for the duration of the conflict.
We would have had the Taliban cleared from Afganistan in a week (with heavy casualties) and never have gone into Iraq, if we had this system.
if we had McCain in the House...we'd be blowin' their shit up!
everyone wants nukes gone,but the general thought is you first.One well placed nuke emp device would send us to the stone age.I think this just won't happen.
he has managed to get China and the USA to play together with him!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo9Zgfndtak
I couldn't resist...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apyB93-1FHk
It's the thought that counts...right?
perfect.
Ya beat me too it, LOL!
... that NOT working with China is a better solution, because they won't push on certain issues?
And what, exactly, would that approach be? Unilateral talks? Shock 'n' Awe 2K9?
ignorance is a common disease among the media types, especially the talkers.
was this a rocket launch for a communications sattelite or a missile launch? Why would we with our defenses be worried about a missile reaching us. We would destroy their whole country. The media is trying to stir things up with their B.S reporting. Be afraid, be very afraid.
This is simply Kim Yung Il waving his peepee around cause he wasn't invited to the G20.
I saw somewhere that this missile/rocket could possibly reach Alaska. Apparently Kim Jong Il has some kind of beef with Sarah Palin.
but I'm not going to launch my missile at her. I would end up being part of the didfunctional family.
Now THAT'S fuckin funny as hell!
the North Korea missile could hit Japan, Australia and our other allies in the area.
nevermind.
neighbours, like Indonesia.
Fact, North Korea is one of, if not the most, repressive regimes in the world.
Fact, North Korea is run by a dictator supported by a heavily indoctrinated populace and a pervasive cult of the personality.
Fact, North Korea has carried out missle tests in the past.
Fact, North Korea's "government" obviously does not care for the lives of North Korean citizens.
Fact, North Korea has conducted tests of nuclear warheads.
There is good reason for its neighbours to be concerned.
All those things are true, but it seems only the conservatove hawks are the ones concerned. As I live in Seoul, I can tell you, for most people here, it's just another day. No one has even mentioned it. A big snore.
PS I saw the "breaking news" on CNN and BBC, and I turned it off. I thought, lots of empty (Western) ranting and nothing going to happen.
If the Powers that Be wish to continue their policy of 'endless war' in order to keep their coffers filled with cash, well, there have to enough peons fearful/confused enough to sign up for the military; or, be willing to 'sacrifice' more (like education, health care and jobs) so the Pentagon and their corporate 'pushers' will have enough money to keep us safe.
I want to be lying on a beach on Maui when it happens.
I'm going to be lying on something...and it won't be a beach, I can promise you THAT!!
.
uhhh...I was trying to be genteel about it. ;o)
full and exciting once in lifetime experience of be vaporized by a nuclear bomb blast?
Well, that's once in a lifetime, fer sure.
to that!
This chick is delusional.
Unlike RW fundies, even the Chinese want to be rich without necessarily killing everyone around them.
of victims in one form or another anyway?
We cannot do that much to affect China, which is one of the emerging superpowers. Better diplomacy than adversarial relations with a country with 1.3 billion citizens, its own ICBMs and a signifcant portion of our foreign debt.
A couple of months ago there was an interesting article in National Geographic about an underground railroad for North Korean refugees that runs through China and into SE Asia. A similar pipeline runs through Russia. These refugees eventually end up in South Korea in a round about way. Right now the Chinese government has a working relationship with Kim Jong Il's regime and turns a blind eye to this. More than likely the Chinese believe that sanctions against North Korea could turn this trickle of refugees into a flood causing a whole new set of problems for them to face.
but who's running the government that's always been the problem.
Having a nuclear armed state on their border that is run by a nutbar has been a long cherished dream of the Chinese government. Especially one over which they have little control.
Having a nuclear armed state on their border that is run by a nutbar
well...I'm sure Canada is alot calmer now that Bush is out of office.
I'm not sure ConcernedCanuck would agree with you there.
wake from their slumber, it will be the government that is afraid, and not their neighbours.
..we aren't going to drop anything on North Korea for this transgression AND there are already sanctions in place that they ignored, not much is going to be done. And what if some country got together a coalition of the willing, what then? Would we make life better for anyone in North Korea? Maybe, maybe not.
Nothing to see here, Move on!
Spoken as if U.S. opinion was still relevant.
a Rice cloning machine somewhere, that produces government administration officials named Rice?
Some political manga I read long ago hypothesized that China would use Korea's nukes as an excuse to "annex" Taiwan. But that was before they "embraced" capitalism, so maybe it's not as important to them?
they can simply buy it for cash and not have to waste any weapons.
What friggin imbecile. It's all about the tidy little sound-bite. No substance, just simple problems and solutions:
"..STEPHANOPOULOS: But because China is right on the border of North Korea, they've been reluctant to really pressure North Korea. They're afraid that if you turn the screws too hard on North Korea, the regime is going to collapse and there's going to be chaos.
And is that why they are not going along with tougher sanctions?"
Is that the simple problem and solution? Hardly.
As Zbigniew Brezinski told Joe Scarborough awhile back, "You know, you have such a stunningly superficial knowledge of what went on that it's almost embarrassing to listen to you."
and absolutely appropriate.
that satellite launched had a tiny piece of bullshittium, so they are up in arms like a bunch of fucking neocons. I guess we need a replacement for Iran.
China will one day pick America's bones.
After invading Iraq illegally, again to get one man and killing hundreds of thousands in the process, America has the balls to bitch about a rocket test. Meanwhile promote Israel in it's genocide against the Arabs.
Why China wants N. Korea to remain as it is.
N. Korea has a one-million man army, which will be sacrificed if there is any disturbance from the Americans based in S. Korea and Japan. N. Korea is a perfect buffer to have along their border. A strongish N. Korea is less likely to be tampered with. Also, they don't want 20,000,000 N. Korean refugees. The system is working perfectly for them. Ditto that for Russia.
It also allows America to keep it's bases over here, which is good for the Pentagon. It's a win-win for everyone. Keep the MIC thriving.
Can you see that picture?
Seriously. Hit nail on head. They'll huff and puff and use every excuse imagined to hang onto the status quo.
"China shares the same goal that we do, which is a de-nuclearized Korean Peninsula."
Considering the thing barely made it over Japan before sputtering out, it look more like _we_ share the same goal that _China_ does.
Like the Clinton traitor says:
"STEPHANOPOULOS: But because China is right on the border of North Korea, they've been reluctant to really pressure North Korea."
So China's putting us to work for our loans.
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