Bush Administration has bungled the situation with North Korea completely. It was only a few short years ago that North and South were developing rapidly toward rapproachment. Clinton and the South Koreans did wonderful work toward defusing the conflicts that remained, and there was talk of reunification. Now, we have a complete mess on our hands. It's almost unbelievable how much worse things have gotten on the Korean peninsula due to Bush's bungling.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/051305Z.shtml
China Says US Impeded North Korea Arms Talks
By Joseph Kahn
The New York Times
Friday 13 May 2005
Beijing - A senior Chinese diplomat on Thursday accused the Bush administration of undermining efforts to revive negotiations with the North Korean government and said there was "no solid evidence" that North Korea was preparing to test a nuclear weapon.
The comments by Yang Xiyu, a senior Foreign Ministry official and China's top official on the North Korean nuclear problem, were noteworthy because the Chinese authorities very rarely speak to journalists about the issue. The comments reflect growing frustration in Beijing with the Bush administration.
Even as the White House presses China to find a solution to the nuclear issue, Chinese officials say, it has hurled insults at North Korea and given its leaders excuses to stay away from the bargaining table.
"It is true that we do not yet have tangible achievements" in ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program, Mr. Yang said in an interview. "But a basic reason for the unsuccessful effort lies in the lack of cooperation from the U.S. side."
Mr. Yang said that when President Bush referred to the North Korea leader, Kim Jong Il, as a "tyrant" in late April, Mr. Bush "destroyed the atmosphere" for negotiations, undoing weeks of efforts to persuade North Korea that the United States would bargain in good faith.