Sen. Kerry: Best Option for North Korea Is Engagement

June 27, 2011

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Today's top nuclear policy stories, with excerpts in bullet form.

Stories we're following today: Monday, June 27, 2011.

U.S. and North Korea: The land of lousy options - John Kerry in LA Times [link]

Washington's approach to North Korea's bad behavior has been measured, firm — and inadequate. We need to rethink our approach.
Our current approach of strong sanctions and intense coordination with South Korea and Japan does not provide sufficient leverage to stabilize the situation, much less bring about a change in North Korean behavior.
The best alternative is for the United States to engage North Korea directly … we should explore steps that can reduce the threat and return to the path toward a denuclearized peninsula.
A good place to begin would be to open talks with North Korea on resuming recovery operations in North Korea for American servicemen still missing from the war...We should also resume carefully monitored U.S. food assistance...

Event: Nuclear Weapons in a Changing World [link]

US willing to engage NKorea if the communist state improves relations with SKorea - Associated Press [link]

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday the U.S. remains willing to engage with North Korea but only if the communist state improves relations with South Korea.
The U.S. and South Korea have closely coordinated policy toward Pyongyang in the past two years, but have made little headway … The allies are considering providing food aid to impoverished North Korea.
“We are looking at whether there’s a real need, what the competing needs are because we are living in a time of rising food insecurity in many places in the world and whether we can put in place sufficient monitoring mechanisms so that the food aid that’s delivered actually gets to the people who need it,” Clinton told a news conference.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard to call for global disarmament, destroy atomic weapons in US, Britain - Simon Benson in The Daily Telegraph [link]

Julia Gillard will call for a parliamentary vote on a motion calling for nuclear armed countries - including our closest allies in the US and Britain - to destroy their atomic weapons.
In a letter from Ms Gillard to the committee on June 15, the Prime Minister confirmed the government would adopt recommendation 21 of its Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament report. The resolution calls for an immediate cut to all nuclear arsenals, starting with a ban on enrichment and the production of fissile material.
While previous governments have expressed support for nuclear disarmament, it would be the first time an Australian parliament had made a formal declaration in protest to nuclear weapons.

Event: Amb. Robert Joseph and Amb. Steve Pifer Debate [link]

IAEA chief ties possible Iran visit to progress on resolving differences on nuclear activities - Associated Press [link]

[Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency] Yukiya Amano says the prospect of “a constructive, concrete result is needed” for him to take up the invitation [to visit Iran] issued Tuesday by Iran’s nuclear chief, Fereidoun Abbasi.
Iran has for years stonewalled IAEA efforts to probe suspicions that Iran has worked on components of a nuclear weapons program.

100 evacuated as N.M. fire threatens Los Alamos lab - Associated Press [link]

Federal forest officials say a wind-driven wildfire has forced the evacuations of about 100 people in northern New Mexico and the closure of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Lab officials has [sic] closed the facility and say all radioactive and hazardous materials were being protected.