Remember the good ole days when the Bush administration derided former president Clinton's efforts to negotiate a deal whereby North Korea would forego producing enriched, nuclear-weapon-grade materials in exchange for various forms of aid, most importantly energy and economic aide?
That was called the Agreed Framework.
On October 21, 1994, the United States and North Korea signed an agreement-the Agreed Framework-calling upon Pyongyang to freeze operation and construction of nuclear reactors suspected of being part of a covert nuclear weapons program in exchange for two proliferation-resistant nuclear power reactors. The agreement also called upon the United States to supply North Korea with fuel oil pending construction of the reactors. An international consortium called the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) was formed to implement the agreement.
The Agreed Framework ended an 18-month crisis during which North Korea announced its intention to withdraw from the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), under which North Korea committed not to develop nuclear weapons. (See ACA's Chronology of U.S.-North Korean Nuclear and Missile Diplomacy for more information on U.S.-North Korean nuclear relations.)
Today Christopher Hill, the chief US negotiator, said a "turning point" was reached in six nation talks with N. Korea. So what's in this new tentative agreement include that is being hailed as a "turning point"?
BEIJING, Sept. 19 - North Korea agreed to end its nuclear weapons program this morning
in return for security, economic and energy benefits, potentially easing tensions with the United States after a three-year standoff over the country's efforts to build atomic bombs.
The United States, North Korea and four other nations participating in nuclear negotiations in Beijing signed a draft accord in which Pyongyang promised to abandon efforts to produce nuclear weapons and re-admit international inspectors to its nuclear facilities. Foreign powers said they would provide aid, diplomatic assurances and security guarantees and consider North Korea's demands for a light-water nuclear reactor.
Congratulations Mr. President. N. Korea now has sufficient weapons grade material to make a half dozen or so nuclear weapons and lo and behold now they has snookered you into beginning the 1994 framework all over again.
The "diplomatic" acumen of this administration is astounding. Perhaps the next time you want to Cowboy Up on a putative nuclear power, you'll work to bring other countries into an existing framework instead of blowing the one fromt the dreaded Clinton administration out of the water. Unfortunately that would require tact and diplomacy, two things which the current administration is severely lacking.