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monkspider
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banned
Aug 2001
time: 23:25
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2757923.stm
Japan has given a warning it would launch a pre-emptive military action against North Korea if it had firm evidence Pyongyang was planning a missile attack.
Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba said it would be "a self-defence measure" if North Korea was going to "resort to arms against Japan".
Mr Ishiba said it would be too late if a North Korean missile was already on its way.
His remarks were the latest in the international row over Pyongyang's nuclear intentions, and followed a North Korean warning that it had the ability to strike American targets anywhere in the world, if provoked.
Click here to see North Korea's missile strike range
Pyongyang was responding to a statement by the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency, George Tenet, warned that Pyongyang had a long-range missile capable of reaching the west coast of America.
On Wednesday, the United Nations nuclear watchdog resolved to refer North Korea to the UN Security Council for breaching nuclear non-proliferation agreements.
Warning
A senior official in Pyongyang, Ri Kwang-hyok, told the AFP news agency that North Korea was capable of attacking "all military personnel and all military commands of the United States in the world" as a self defence measure.
He also called on the Security Council to investigate the United States' own nuclear programme.
"We insist that the responsibility of the US must be discussed too," he said.
North Korea has long been thought to have a missile under development capable of hitting the western United States.
'Chronic offender'
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) decision on Wednesday to refer North Korea to the UN Security Council brings the nuclear crisis to a new stage.
It raises the possibility of economic and political sanctions against Pyongyang - a move North Korea says it would regard as a declaration of war.
Under its charter, the IAEA must report any violations of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty to the Security Council, and Pyongyang had been in "chronic non-compliance since 1993", IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said.
He said North Korea was only a "month or two" from producing "a significant amount of plutonium" that could be used to make nuclear weapons.
Despite issuing the referral, Mr ElBaradei insisted that the IAEA would continue to press for a peaceful solution to the crisis.
"All members made it clear it is not the time to jump to sanctions," Mr ElBaradei said.
'Window of opportunity'
Pyongyang's neighbours have reacted with concern to the new developments.
South Korea urged Pyongyang to seize the "window of opportunity" left open to it.
It also said it hoped the Security Council would "handle the issue in a way that prevents a worsening of the situation and facilitates a diplomatic resolution".
China, while backing the decision by the IAEA's 35-country board, warned the Security Council against getting involved.
"The UN Security Council's involvement at this stage might not necessarily contribute to the settlement of the issue," China's ambassador to the UN, Zhang Yan, said on Thursday.
"The only correct and effective approach... is through constructive dialogue and consultations on the basis of equality," he said.
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kolpo
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Japan has the right to do so.
Where are tons of US troops? In Japan
When North Korea is treatening to use nuclear weapons againsts US troops around the world does that most likely refere to troops in Japan. Those nuclear weapons would not only kill the US troops but also the MILLIONS Japanse living near there.
Japan has a billion more reasons to attack North korea then the US has to attack Iraq. The US should currently leave the the middle east for what it is and back Japan. One nuclear weapon can do a lot more then 100 WTC like terroristic attacks, north korea is a bigger tread then Bin Laden. The treats that North korea has made to Japan quite equals a declaration of war. If Cuba would only do 1/1000 th od what North Korea is doing now would it have been already war.
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kolpo
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Oh and if Japan lost to North korea and became a part of it would it be an even bigger mesh that is why the US must back Japan.
Without US support do I give Japan 50% to win, with US air support +/-90%, with US ground support 100%.
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David Floyd
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The bottom of a large bottle of beer
Jan 1970
time: 05:25
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quote:
But North Korea is very cut and dry. This is good versus evil, and right now you're with the Bush administration on the accomodating evil side. |
Actually that'd probably be me more so than orange. And I'm not with Bush at all, because I'd be in favor of removing all sanctions and getting all military forces out of Korea. That's not called accomodating evil, that's called minding your own business. The regional powers are more than sufficient to defeat North Korea - a combination of South Korea and Japan, for example, or even just South Korea, would have little problem. China would destroy the NKs as well, if they wanted to.
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13-02-2003 21:52
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