Russia urges Iran to cooperate with IAEA on nuclear program

By HERB KEINON AND REUTERS 
06/15/2011 16:40

Russian FM tells Ahmadinejad work constructively with UNSC, open up contacts with IAEA; Iranian president launches attack on Israel at Asian security conference, says Zionism is one of history's worst ills.

Talkbacks (4)  

ASTANA - Russia urged Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday to be "more constructive" in his cooperation with global powers on nuclear issues, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Ahmadinejad met Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev after a meeting of a regional security bloc in the Kazakh capital Astana. Ahmadinejad, during his short speech at the meeting, slammed the West, the US, and Israel for causing instability and violence in the Middle East.

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Despite the Iranian president's biting speech, the Russian foreign minister said that he had encouraged Ahmadinejad to work more closely and openly with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in their nuclear ambitions.

"We raised the question with Ahmadinejad about the necessity of more constructive cooperation with 5+1 and, more importantly, about increasing the transparency of contacts between Iran and the IAEA," Lavrov told reporters.

The 5+1 refers to the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany.

Earlier Wednesday at the meeting, Ahmadinejad launched into a brutal attack of the West at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Wednesday, mentioning Zionism as one of history’s worst ills.

He said that 60 plus years of Zionism has brought only humiliation and destruction to the Palestinians and the region.

But Israel got off easy in Ahmadinejad’s tirade, viciously attacking the US and the West for a long litany that includes slavery, colonizations, the pillaging of Africa, World War I and II and numerous wars since then, dropping a nuclear bomb on defenseless civilians, and creating the atmosphere leading to 9/11 which he said was the pretext for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq which he said has cost some one million casualties.

The other leaders at the conference, including Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan,Tajikistan, India, Pakistan and Mongolia, sat impassively during his comments.

Each leader at the conference, marking the 10 years since the founding of the regional security organization that presents itself as counterbalance to NATO, spoke briefly and – with Ahmadinejad’s short exception – steered wide of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict or the current upheaval in the Middle east. The leaders also made no mention of Iran’s nuclear threat.

China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are full members of the organization, which promotes economic, military and security cooperation. Iran, Pakistan, India, and Mongolia enjoy observer status.

Because of UN sanctions against it, Iran is presently barred from joining as a full member.    Subscribe to our Newsletter to receive news updates directly to your email

Former USFK Commander Talks About Nuke Threat on Korean Peninsula

The Asan Plenum nuclear conference is currently underway in Seoul which is a gathering of leading think tanks to discuss pressing challenges related to nuclear weapons and power.

And among the 250 participants of leading nuclear experts around the world was the former commander of the US Forces Korea, Burwell Bell, who shared his assessment of the current security situation on the Korean peninsula.

And our Kim Nari, who talked with Mr. Bell joined us in the studio.
Welcome Nari.

[Interview : ] Thank you.
The three-day Asan Plenum forum under the topic 'Our Nuclear Future' began on Monday and is currently underway in Seoul.
I was at the forum on the opening day and was able to meet up with the former commander of US Forces Korea, Burwell Bell, who is visiting Seoul as a panelist for the forum.
He shared his opinions and assessment of the current security situation here including his belief that North Korea will continue its provocative acts.
Mr. Bell also said China is holding the key for achieving peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and that only strong retaliation by South Korean and American forces can stop future North Korean attacks.
Let's take a look.

Retired US Army General Burwell Bell said China is the missing ingredient for maintaining peace on the Korean peninsula.


[Interview : US Army Gen. Burwell Bell
Former USFK commander] "The missing ingredient is China. China is missing. They are in favor of the status quo, this makes the region very volatile, great risk. And they would prefer status quo other than North Korea that is moving towards reconciliation with the South."

General Bell, who is in Seoul attending the Asan Plenum nuclear forum as a panelist said that in order for the six-party nuclear talks to succeed all the member nations, excluding North Korea, should share the common goal.


[Interview : US Army Gen. Burwell Bell
Former USFK commander] "Only when all five of the other parties have similar interest in the denuclearization of North Korea, will we be able to effectively approach the North. That leadership should come from China. And to this date, they have chosen not to behave in a way that will make a positive difference on the Korean peninsula. "

He also said he wouldn't be surprised to see further provocative acts by the North in the near future.


[Interview : US Army Gen. Burwell Bell
Former USFK commander] "They will continue to conduct provocations as far as they can, as long as they can, in hopes of achieving their aims."

And he explained that the poor economic situation the reclusive country currently faces is the main drive of the North's continuous strikes.


[Interview : US Army Gen. Burwell Bell
Former USFK commander] "The potential of military provocations in hopes of bringing South Korea, the United States and Japan and others to the diplomatic table to gain economic concession remains very serious issue, and would not surprised for me to see something along those lines in not too distant future.

Then how could we deal with the situation[Interview : US Army Gen. Burwell Bell
Former USFK commander] "Now the question is not will North Korea conduct another provocation because it inevitably will but how will the Republic of Korea and their best ally the United States respond militarily."

Bell, who served for two years as US Forces Korea commander before retiring in 2008, says strong retaliation is the answer.


[Interview : US Army Gen. Burwell Bell
Former USFK commander] "A strong retaliatory strike. I hope that the next time when North Korea strikes the South, that South Korea with the United States supporting them, should respond and retaliate for the previous strikes that have happened, recently the Cheonan and the island."

And he said there is no doubt that the combined forces of South Korea and the United States can defeat the North.


[Interview : US Army Gen. Burwell Bell
Former USFK commander] "Between ground forces and American naval and air forces partnered with Korean air and naval forces, this is a overwhelming force. The question is, can that formation stop a North Korean attack, punish the North Koreans, and set the conditions as appropriate for offensive operation. The answer is, you bet it can."


I am sure based on his experience as the commander of US Forces here that he is well aware of the current security situation on the peninsula, but it is certainly not comforting to hear that we can expect another attack by North Korea in the near future.

[Reporter : ] Right.
I don't want to say we are 'immune' to North Korea's possible threats as we have been exposed to this volatile situation for over six decades, but unfortunately it is true that we are living in an environment threatened by North Korea at any time.
But as Mr. Bell said it is not the time to think about whether the North will strike again, and if it does, when it might happen but rather, how can we stop this ongoing volatile situation from expanding.
And as you heard he recommends that strong retaliation is the only way.

Switching to the Asan Plenum tell us more about this conference.

[Reporter : ] Well, this year's Asan Plenum nuclear forum focuses on five major themes: nonproliferation, disarmament, peaceful use, nuclear security, and deterrence.
And with Seoul set to host the second Nuclear Security Summit next year, the recent nuclear crisis in Japan, as well as North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons the conference will play an important role in setting the global agenda on nuclear issues.

Thank you Nari for that report.

[Reporter : ] My pleasure.

JUN 15, 2011

Reporter : narikim@arirang.co.kr

'More pain, more gain' policy needed to break NK stalemate: expert

'More pain, more gain' policy needed to break NK stalemate: expert

Bruce Klingner, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation By Kim Young-jin The United States should pursue more aggressively its two-track policy toward Pyongyang of sanctions and diplomacy to break the stalemate over its nuclear program and decrease “a very high risk” of further provocations, an expert said Wednesday. “The two-track policy is a good one, but it has been weakly implemented,” Bruce Klingner, a senior fellow at the U.S.-based Heritage Foundation, said on the sidelines of a nuclear forum in Seoul. “But more needs to be done on both tracks. We need more pain and more gain.” His remarks came amid a deepening stalemate over the North Korean nuclear program after the North threw cold water on efforts to revive multilateral negotiations by vowing never to deal with the Lee Myung-bak administration. He said the Obama government should start by fixing loopholes in U.N. Security Council resolutions so the North feels the full brunt of the sanctions, especially over its suspected proliferation activities. Klinger added that the United States should also target the countries the North is proliferating to, as the resolutions on Pyongyang apply to all member nations. “So far the U.S. and the U.N. have been reluctant to target non-NK targets. Clearly Iran, Burma and Syria, their entities there should be targeted and it’s extremely likely that Chinese companies and banks are involved,” he said. On May 26, a North Korean freighter suspected of containing illicit weapons and apparently en route to Myanmar was intercepted by a U.S. destroyer in waters off China. Access to the ship was denied, but it turned around and headed back to the North. But Washington must also make clearer to Pyongyang, the benefits of changing its behavior, Klingner said. “We need to present them a menu of benefits,” he said, listing humanitarian aid, economic development assistance, removal of sanctions and a gradual improvement of diplomatic relations among the incentives. The message could be delivered by Stephen Bosworth, Washington’s special envoy on North Korea. The stalemate has raised concerns that Pyongyang could launch fresh attacks following two deadly ones last year. The former CIA deputy division chief warned that Washington and Seoul’s growing skepticism over the ability to solve the nuclear issue diplomatically could cause the North to launch bolder provocations, saying there was even a “very high risk” of such an act within South Korea. “This could be a terrorist attack or a demonstration that they were able to target a nuclear reactor here, leaving behind an indication that a North Korean commando team had been there,” he said. Among other actions could be the instigation of skirmishes in the West Sea or a land clash along the heavily-fortified Demilitarized Zone that straddles Korea, he said. It could also test-fire a ballistic missile as far as 4,000 miles or conduct a uranium-based nuclear test, both of which would undoubtedly set off major alarms internationally. Washington and Seoul must maintain a third track of maintaining sufficient defenses against multifaceted threats from the North, including missile defense and non-proliferation efforts, he said. Many analysts believe that despite the North’s repeated statements that it wishes to return to the denuclearization forum, it is intent on keeping its program given the resources it has put into it. “Under the current paradigm, the North is unlikely to decide to give up its nuclear weapons. We have to change their cost-benefit analysis so it sees it’s more in its interest to give them up. But the ball is in its court.” He said Pyongyang could allow IAEA inspectors back into its main Yongbyon nuclear plant and resume previously agreed-upon “tangible first steps” to cool tensions and get dialogue back on track. “Then Washington would be more likely to resume food aid and come back to talks and suggest that Seoul resume contacts as well,” he said.

yjk@koreatimes.co.kr

Russia tells Iran to improve nuclear behaviour

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (right) on Wednesday urged Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (left) to take a more constructive approach in the standoff with world powers over Teheran's nuclear drive.

ASTANA - RUSSIAN President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday urged Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to take a more constructive approach in the standoff with world powers over Teheran's nuclear drive.
Mr Medvedev requested a meeting with Mr Ahmadinejad on the sidelines of a regional summit in the Kazakh capital to refocus global attention on the Iranian nuclear problem, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters.
'This problem seems to have moved to the back burner while other members of the negotiating process remain busy with the Middle East and North Africa,' Interfax quoted Mr Lavrov as saying.
'Although we are also very concerned about what is happening in this region, we feel it is wrong to forget about the deadlock that remains around the Iranian nuclear programme,' Russia's top diplomat said.
'At the meeting, the Iranian president was told of the need for more constructive cooperation with the 'six' - and, most importantly, of improving transparency his contacts with the IAEA.'
Mr Lavrov was referring to the UN nuclear watchdog and the stalled six-party negotiations, which also include Germany and the five permanent UN Security Council members. -- AFP