North Korean Test Used Plutonium

The New York Times reports that North Korea’s test explosion last week was powered by plutonium harvested from North Korea's small nuclear reactor:

The intelligence agencies’ finding that the weapon was based on plutonium strongly suggested that the country’s second path to a nuclear bomb — one using uranium — was not yet ready. The uranium program is based on enrichment equipment and know-how purchased from Pakistan’s former nuclear chief.

The Times notes that the fact that the North Korea test used plutonium may revive the finger-pointing about whether Bill Clinton or President Bush is more responsible for the Korean test. The Times is wrong of course. The fact that the test used plutonium is proof that most of the credit goes to the failed Albright/Clinton unverifiable Agreed Framework. Under that deal, In return for North Korea's promise to comply with all international nuclear non-proliferation agreements and eventually and dispose of all spent nuclear fuel already produced, the U.S. agreed replace North Korea's graphite-moderated reactors with light-water reactors to supply N. Korea with up to 500,000 tons of heavy oil for heating and electricity production annually, until the reactors had been replaced.

The Albright/Clinton regime disregarded the very important maxim articulated by President Reagan, trust, but verify.

North Korea took advantage of the Clinton administration's trust and cheated on the Agreed Framework. Secretary of State Colin Powell, appearing October 20, 2002 on NBC's "Meet the Press" stated, "When we told North Korea that we knew what they were doing, they came back the next day, admitted it, blamed us for their actions and then said they considered that agreement nullified."

As then North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms put it:

At long last, the truth has come out. North Korea has admitted that the Agreed Framework negotiated by the Clinton Administration is a falsehood.

The bottom line is that North Korea was out of compliance with its international obligations in 1994 when the Agreed Framework was signed; it remained out of compliance throughout the implementation of the Framework; and it is today out of compliance with its international obligations.

Clintonistas rushed to defend the failed Agreed Framework after the North Korean test.

Madeleine Albright issued a statement saying Bush had turned his back on a policy that had been working and renewed an appeal for direct talks:

During the two terms of the Clinton administration, there were no nuclear weapons tests by North Korea, no new plutonium production, and no new nuclear weapons developed in Pyongyang. Through our policy of effective constructive engagement, the world was safer.

Democrats, and the main stream media, continue to argue that the Bush administration failed on North Korea because it did not talk directly one on one with the North Koreans. This is also a falsehood.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has recently explained that the administration has talked to the North Korean one on one, a fact that was even reported by the main stream media back in May 2005.

As I have written before, Diplomatic efforts with North Korea have never resulted in satisfactory results. Consider this time line, prepared by the Arms Control Association, summarizing the efforts to end North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs between 1985 and 2003.

Regardless of North Korea's provocations, no penalty that North Korea considers meaningful is imposed upon the renegade state. North Korea will continue to do whatever it wants until the unthinkable happens.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, Pool

Comments

[Jenn]

Why can't the finger pointing go where it belongs: NORTH KOREA!!!!!

Too late to blame anyone, let's rally around the fact that North Korea, a nation run by a nut-job dictator, now has nukes.

Let it be a lesson to us, and how we now should concentrate on Iran, before it's too late.