U.S. rejects direct talks with North Korea, says it won't be intimidated by threats
"This is the way North Korea typically negotiates by threat and intimidation," said U.S. Ambassador John Bolton. "It's worked for them before. It won't work for them now."
The White House said, meanwhile, there is a "remote possibility" that the world never will be able to fully determine whether North Korea succeeded in conducting a nuclear test Monday. While acknowledging that the action was provocative, White House press secretary Tony Snow suggested that it's possible that the test was something less than it appeared.
"You could have something that it very old and off-the-shelf here, as well, in which case they've dusted off something that is old and dormant," he said. He said the intelligence community is continuing to assess the explosion.
North Korea stepped up its threats, saying it could fire a nuclear nuclear-tipped missile unless the U.S. acts, the Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday from Beijing. But even if Pyongyang is confirmed to have nuclear weapons, experts say it's unlikely the North has a bomb design small and light enough to be mounted atop a missile.
In response to North Korea's purported nuclear test, the United States is pressing at the United Nations for stringent sanctions on Pyongyang, including a trade ban on military and luxury items, the power to inspect all cargo entering or leaving the country, and freezing assets connected with its weapons programs.
Meanwhile, Democratic New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador who has visited North Korea, said the Bush administration should abandon its long-standing refusal to engage in direct talks with North Korea. He said President Bush was right to seek sanctions against North Korea in the U.N., but should next move to direct talks with the reclusive nation.
"I would engage directly in face-to-face talks," Richardson said on NBC's "Today" show. "That's when you deliver your toughest message."
In taking that stance, Richardson echoed the message that former Secretary of State James A. Baker III said Sunday, as Baker urged the administration to talk directly to adversaries around the world.
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