U.S., Japan, S Korea say N Korea must give up nukes

The next step should be to do what we are doing now: watch, prepare to react to provocations, and make clear that we are not "buying the same horse twice" (to quote former Sec. Defense Gates).

The North made commitments that they promised to keep. The fact that they had no real intention of keeping them in the first place is irrelevant. We (the trioka of U.S. Japan and S. Korea) must be strong and make clear that these "salami cutting" tactics of renegotiate to give as little as possible while gaining max advantage will no longer serve as the basis for a relationship. If the North wants aid, it MUST keep it's previous commitments rather than negotiating new terms.

As for the use of food as a weapon, if the Trioka were blockading the North to prevent it from receiving that which it would otherwise receive, that would be the use of food etc. as a weapon. On the other hand, failure to provide aid (which by definition is free) is clearly not. No country is obligated to provide food or other assistance free of charge to a country that is spending about 40% of its budget on offensive weaponry (Nothing about the North's military is defensive in nature.)

We should say, "If you cannot feed your own people, stop funding these ridiculous missle and nuclear programs, and use the savings to purchase food for your own people on the open market. THEN, if it is still not enough, call us. We will be ready to assist you. Otherwise, I know a good recipie for grass stew."

Of course the North's leadership would rather let their people starve than make a rational decision, but that is their fault, not ours. We are not obligated to save them from their own stuipid decisions.

@Graham DeShazo:

Very well said!! I agree with you 100%!!

There is another article on another site talking about how they believe that soon enough, the powerful army leaders in NK will push out Kim and take over. And we all now how they push out a family from power. By the way, that person talking is Kim.

http://news.yahoo.com/kim-brother-says-n-korea-heading-collapse-book-075753695.html

This is the link as to what his brother thinks.

Come on guys.....lets get real here.

U.S:, Japan, S. Korea: You have to give up your nuclear weapons and production facilities. North Korea: Sure, right after you do.

Do as I say and not as I do?

Do we really pay these guys with taxpayer's money? These politicians need to solve what they can and stop barking up the wrong tree.

In order to promote disarmament, the giants need to offer the olive branch. North Korea doesn't have jack and their currency is worthless to the world. You have to give them technology and show them the way. Housing projects, water purification technology and waste disposal tech is the olive branch.

Stop calling them names and looking at them as if they are a society of E.T.s.

Truth be told, it all hinges on the way Kim Un perceives the world and what he wants his legacy to be. At some point he has to decide. Simply follow in his father's footsteps or usher in a new era of prosperity that could be shared across his lands.

It's not necessary for Kim Un to bow to diplomatic pressure either. That's their country. That's their space. Hold them to no expectations other than peace and freedom and hopefully better relations.

For the U.S. the last thing we need is another Cowboy president like Bush. We don't need to call anybody names. Despite Obama's lackluster performance at convincing Republicans to join forces...he is...the best diplomat we have. Obama is a very articulate President and if there's anybody who could help bridge political relations with Pyongyang it would be him. Hopefully in 2012 he'll get on the ball with that.

A young man is at the helm. Let us hope that old men and their obsolete views don't block progress.

“We agreed on the importance of improvement in inter-Korean relations and resolution of the abductions issue,”

Geez... why am I not surprised this came up? I guess they're looking to derail any future talks again by harping on a bilateral issue in a 6-nation forum.

"State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland last week denied that the United States was linking food to politics."

Ummm... how could you deny this?

The North Korean regime is crazy, not stupid. Look what happened to Serbia, Iraq and Libya, none of which had nukes. The US and her allies are insisting that the North commit political and military suicide, and that ain't going to happen. A more considered approach is sorely needed.

Tell fat-boy Un, that if he gives up nukes, the world will give him pork chops for life.

North Korea does not have the high technology to build a nuclear "tipped" missile. They will only pretend they have one.

I guess they're looking to derail any future talks again by harping on a bilateral issue in a 6-nation forum.

Any family member that would not do the same is not worthy of the name.

It's not just inter-Koreas tension that plays into this.We should take a look at a larger & bigger picture of Northeast Asia (Far East) security map.Japan doesn't get along well with S & N Korea plus China and that is creating the real tension here in this region.

Both Japan and S Korea should be more "pragmatic" when they approach each other.As a Korean, I want to ask Korean people to cool their anti-Japan emotion and show some warm hearts to Japanese people despite the bitter legacy of Japan's colonialism of Korea.

Sanctions are no longer effective. Sanctions cause wars. Isn't obvious yet? Sanctions cause the people in that country to become desperate. The government of that country will use force to maintain control of the people then blame the cause on those supporting the sanctions. This causes the people to side with the government and support a war for self survival. Sanctions only work on wealthy countries that have a lot of money and power to lose. Sanctions don't work on desperate impoverished countries. They have nothing to lose, and a cause to believe in.

North Korea will implode within this leader's lifetime. Bank on it.

Lead by example i would say

Like it matters. The entire area (Japan and Korean peninsula) are covered with nuclear contamination and the ocean in this area is screwed for thousands of years anyway.