nuclear-news

Iran, North Korea, dominate concerns at nuclear summit

Obama to Discuss North Korea, Iran  By CAROL E. LEE and JAY SOLOMON, MIDDLE EAST NEWS   March 21, 2012,   WASHINGTON—North Korea and Iran are expected to dominate President Barack Obama’s trip to South Korea this weekend, as concerns mount about Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and Pyongyang’s preparations for a satellite launch the U.S. and its allies said they believe is largely for military purposes.

Pyongyang’s launch, scheduled for mid-April, could undercut recent
White House efforts to ratchet down tensions with North Korea’s new
leader, Kim Jong Eun…. Mr. Obama is set to arrive in South Korea on
Sunday to attend the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit, a platform for
world leaders to discuss ways to contain the spread of weapons of mass
destruction.

The real action, however, will take place on the sidelines of the
summit, where Mr. Obama is scheduled to hold meetings with the leaders
of China, Russia and Turkey……  North Korea’s announcement last
week that it was preparing to launch a satellite next month also
represented an embarrassment for the Obama administration.

The president had resisted directly engaging Pyongyang since taking
office in 2009 because of its history of reneging on disarmament
commitments. Last month, the new government of Kim Jong Eun publicly
pledged to freeze its nuclear and long-range missile programs in
exchange for food aid from Washington.

But days later, it said it would launch the satellite, which it said
would be in honor of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, arguing that it
would be different from a missile test…..
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303812904577295802545378344.html

March 22, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | North Korea, politics international