US rules out attack on North Korea: Six-way talks stressed
By Anwar Iqbal
WASHINGTON, Oct 11: US President George W. Bush said on Wednesday that North Korea must be punished for its reported nuclear test, but ruled out the possibility of launching military strikes to do so.
The United States has no intentions of attacking the reclusive regime, he told a news conference in the White House Rose Garden. “The US remains committed to diplomacy, but also reserves all options to defend our friends in the region.”
Mr Bush said the US was working with its partners in the region and the UN Security Council to ensure that there were ‘serious repercussions’ for Pyongyang. “Together we will ensure that North Korea understands the consequences if it continues down its current path,” he said.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had also said earlier that Washington had no plans to attack North Korea, but warned that retaliation was coming.
Speaking on CNN, Ms Rice said while ‘the diplomatic path is open’ to resolve the dispute, a refusal to negotiate would mean North Korea would face “international condemnation and international sanctions unlike anything that they have faced before.”
Mr Bush said the US agreed with other countries that there must be a strong UN Security Council resolution that would require North Korea to abide by its commitment to dismantle its nuclear programmes.
He vowed increased military cooperation with allies, including bolstering ballistic missile defences in the region, and increased efforts to prevent Pyongyang from importing missile and nuclear technology.
The president rejected criticism from Democrats that his policies had created the situation that allowed North Korea to conduct a nuclear test. “It is the intransigence of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, that led to the current situation,” he said.
He also rejected the UN secretary-general’s suggestion that the US hold direct talks with North Korea, saying that the Clinton administration’s direct contacts with the communist regime were unprofitable.
“It didn’t work in the past. ... I learned a lesson from that. You have a better diplomatic hand with others sending the message,” he said. He supported a resumption of six-way talks among North Korea, South Korea, China, Russia, Japan and the United States.
Also during the news conference, Mr Bush blamed sectarian militants for a recent upturn in violence in Iraq.
“We’re constantly changing tactics,” said Mr Bush amid reports that Washington may divide Iraq into three autonomous regions for Kurds, Shias and Sunnis to prevent the country from receding into a civil war.
