ROK Drop

By on December 15th, 2007 at 6:23 am

$106 Million for Full Disclosure

Do these people actually think North Korea is ever going to give a full declaration much less give up their nuclear weapons:

The U.S. Congress could supply North Korea with the funding needed to disable its nuclear facilities and clean up the sites, according to a proposal by Barbara Boxer, chairwoman of the East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Boxer made the suggestion Wednesday after listening to chief U.S. negotiator in nuclear talks Christopher Hill give a briefing on his visit to Pyongyang early this month in a closed-door session of the subcommittee.

"Congress would approve reasonable sums of money needed to support the process, including $106 million that Hill requested as the U.S. contribution toward fuel oil that is being provided to North Korea as an incentive,” she said. The U.S. State Department had reportedly asked Congress for initial funding of $106 million to give the North energy aid in the form of heavy fuel oil, shut down the nuclear facilities and verify the process under a Feb 13 denuclearization deal.

But the offer is conditional on North Korea making a full declaration of all nuclear programs and stockpiles and explaining its alleged nuclear connection with Syria, Boxer said. Hill said, "We are hopeful that we will have the complete declaration provided by around the year-end." There will be an additional round of talks with North Korea in late December, he added.  [Chosun Ilbo]

I have to agree with OFK that the State Department is probably begging to fold on this and send Kim Jong-il the money anyway.  Kim Jong-il has no intentions of ever coming clean on nuclear weapons programs much less ever give them up.  He is sitting back waiting for the State Department cave in to happen just like with the $25 million from the Banco Delta Asia scandal.  However, I think there is now added resistance to giving into Kim Jong-il this time from Congress and maybe the administration itself since it appears no showdown with Iran over their nuclear weapons program is imminent. 

- 248 views
4
  • Kingkitty
    12:18 am on December 15th, 2007 1

    A 106 mil can do a bit to modernize the NPAs military

  • Mark
    2:15 am on December 15th, 2007 2

    Agreed Framework A Greed Flamework.

  • jerkbait
    7:56 am on December 15th, 2007 3

    Let me get this straight. We're going to give NK 106 million to make the do the right thing??? But yet we cant fund veterans health care or take care of our vets? We cant pay concurrent receipt to 100% disabled vets IU because of no funds, but we can pay NK 106 million, now thats ****up!

  • GI Korea
    9:15 am on December 15th, 2007 4

    Personally I'm surprised the sell out payment to North Korea is only $106 million. Hopefully the people in Congress holding up the State Dept. sell out continue to keep the pressure on State to get NK to completely disclose their nuclear programs. Especially the HEU and Syrian programs.

    I seriously doubt they will come completely clean on this and come up with some half ass declaration so the State Dept. can give them their $106 million payoff.

 

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