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SLUG: North Korean Worries
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DATE=03/06/03 TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP TITLE=NORTH KOREAN WORRIES NUMBER=6-12851 BYLINE=ANDREW GUTHRIE DATELINE=WASHINGTON EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS TELEPHONE=619-3335 CONTENT=
INTRO: North Korea's provocative acts are helping to worsen relations with the United States. Recently a nuclear reactor that can produce fuel for bombs was restarted, and North Korean air force jets harassed a U-S reconnaissance plane in international airspace. The American press is divided over how best to deal with the situation. We get a sampling from V-O-A's _____________ in today's U-S Opinion Roundup. TEXT: The Bush administration says it will not accept expansion of North Korea's nuclear arsenal, but a senior official says he is "reasonably optimistic" that Pyongyang's resumed nuclear weapons drive can be stopped. Some congressional Democrats now say that North Korea poses a more imminent threat than Iraq, and urge the president to pay more attention. In Pennsylvania, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette feels it is time to talk to North Korea. VOICE: The situation over North Korea is bad and getting worse. It is indisputable that North Korea's recent behavior is dangerous and irresponsible. It is also true that U-S policy toward that state . has not always been adroit or trustworthy. The question, however, is what the United States should do now. . As we see it, the [U-S] . loses little by agreeing to talk with North Korea . in the cause of peace. More pragmatically, isn't it worth talking with them to buy some time while the Iraq crisis plays itself out? TEXT: Ohio's Cleveland Plain Dealer adds: VOICE: Top U-S officials say they are committed to dialogue and diplomacy in North Korea, rather than . war. Now is the time to show it. TEXT: Tennessee's Chattanooga Free Press has this to say: VOICE: Communist North Korea has proved by many recent provocations that it can get U-S attention - - but it must be made unmistakably clear that it will get no rewards for serious misbehavior. . .The United States must not ignore Korean communist provocations .and must not pay off in any way. TEXT: In Florida, The Palm Beach Post disagrees: VOICE: President Bush says he wants to solve the North Korea crisis through diplomacy, yet he won't let the State Department talk one-on-one with North Korean diplomats. The Bush administration, supporters have said, marked the return of adults in charge [Editors: a sarcastic, veiled reference to the Clinton administration, and its various scandals]. Waiting for North Korea's Kim Jong Il to be adult is a bad move. But .the Bush administration is matching the North Koreans pout for pout [Editors: to pout is to sulk] TEXT: South Carolina's Charleston Post and Courier, on the other hand, agrees with the Chattanooga paper. VOICE: The administration must not capitulate to nuclear blackmail. North Korea's extremely anxious neighbors, South Korea and Japan, as well as China, also have important roles to play in maintaining stability in the region a stability that can be achieved only if the United States and other nations refuse to reward North Korea's provocations. TEXT: With those views from The Post and Courier, we conclude this editorial sampling. NEB/ANG/MAR |
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