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Vancouver
Meeting on North Korea |
| By
Stephen Lendman |
| On January 16, foreign ministers from 16 nations will meet in Vancouver
on North Korea - hosted by Washington and Canada. Invited countries include South Korea, Japan, Britain, France, India and others involved in Harry Trump’s naked aggression on North Korea in the 1950s. Not invited to attend, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang criticized the meeting, saying: “Holding this kind of meeting that doesn’t include important parties to the Korean peninsula nuclear issue actually cannot help in advancing an appropriate resolution to the issue.” Sergey Lavrov slammed the meeting as well, Russia and China not consulted about it. The State Department saying they were included in consultations “is outright lies,” Lavrov stressed, sharply adding: “We said clearly that we consider these efforts and this meeting to be destructive. When we heard about this meeting, we asked: What is it for, why” only for nation’s involved against North Korea in the 1950s war? Foreign ministers from Greece, Belgium, Colombia and Luxembourg are attending. “What do they have to do with the current efforts to resolve the Korean peninsula issue,” Lavrov asked? The State Department said discussion will include joint efforts to pressure Pyongyang. Russia and China were invited to attend a post-meeting session on what was discussed - an insult, excluding them from input in talks. Lavrov slammed the idea, calling it “unacceptable. We insisted that the United Nations refrain from accepting an invitation to this meeting, though such an invitation had been sent.” Moscow urges six-party talks on North Korea, including Russia, China, America, Japan, South Korea and the DPRK, no others unrelated to crisis on the peninsula. “Russia and China have a joint initiative for transition from confrontation to a political settlement of the problem that emerged on the Korean Peninsula,” Lavrov explained, adding: “For a start we suggest everybody should calm down and freeze any confrontational actions, in the first place, military activities, be it missile launches, nuclear weapons tests or large-scale exercises, which the United States has held and still holds in the region jointly with the Republic of Korea and Japan.” “When such a freeze, a moratorium on unfriendly and confrontationist steps takes effect, we will actively support direct contacts between the parties most concerned.” “As far as the nuclear problem is concerned, I am referring to Pyongyang and Washington in the first place, but we will be prepared to accompany their bilateral dialog within the framework of the six-party process with Russia, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea taking part.” Washington rejects responsible diplomacy, stepping back from the brink. Its bullying and provocative agenda is polar opposite. Does Trump intend war on North Korea? He’s headed in this direction, threatening the DPRK with “fire and fury.” During his September UN address, he threatened to “totally destroy North Korea.” The State Department disturbingly called constructive inter-Korean talks an attempt to drive a wedge between Washington and Seoul. A NYT report said Pentagon commanders “are quietly preparing for a war they hope will not come.” They relish wars, eager for more of them, North Korea a prime target. The Times: “(T)he Pentagon plans to send more Special Operations troops to the Korean Peninsula, an initial step toward what some officials said ultimately could be the formation of a Korea-based task force similar to the types that are fighting in Iraq and Syria.” Asia/Pacific military exercises simulate war on North Korea. Speaking last year at the Association of the United States Army annual meeting, army chief of staff General Mark Milley said “I want you to get ready for what might come, and do not do any tasks that do not directly contribute to increasing combat readiness in your unit.” Does he have Trump administration war on North Korea in mind? Peace is anathema in Washington. A nation permanently at war seeks new countries to attack, inventing reasons as justification because none exist. Days earlier, deputy US air force chief of staff General Mark Nowland roared “(i)f you’re asking us, are we ready to fight tonight, the answer is, yes, we will.” What’s frightening is he likely represents consensus in Washington. VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html |