-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! N. Korea ‘No. 1 enemy’ in Asia Pacific commander heats up war of words with Pyongyang ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- By Jon Dougherty © 2001 WorldNetDaily.com The commander of the U.S. Pacific Command has called North Korea America's "No. 1 enemy" in the Asia-Pacific theater, as the Bush administration's stance towards Pyongyang continues to get tougher. Adm. Dennis Blair, speaking to reporters in Seoul on Tuesday, also touted the U.S.-South Korean alliance as the major bulwark against North Korean aggression. "I would define North Korea as the No. 1 enemy state when I look across my area of responsibility," Blair said. "However," he added, "I think the chances of conflict with North Korea are very low. And the reason they are low is that the U.S.-South Korea alliance is strong. "Our combined military capability and the strength of our countries would be victorious in any conflict and I think the North Koreans know that," Blair said. The Pacific theater commander also called for a reduction in the "very tense situation" around the DMZ, or demilitarized zone, the most heavily defended border in the world that separates the two Koreas, and the Cold War's last remaining vestige. The DMZ has been in place for nearly 50 years, established in the wake of the 1950-53 Korean War, when the warring nations signed an armistice. A formal peace treaty has never been signed; both countries, technically, are still at war. The U.S. maintains 37,000 troops in South Korea. "The forward deployment of the North Korean armed forces, their artillery forces, simply pose too much of a short-term threat to South Korea," Blair said, reinforcing the U.S. commitment to remain engaged on the Korean peninsula. Meanwhile, North Korean officials decried Blair's rhetoric and accused the Bush administration of attempting to foment ill will against Pyongyang in the south at a time when both Koreas are making attempts to reunify peacefully. There have been daily attacks against the U.S. and the Bush administration in various influential North Korean media outlets, most claiming that Washington is attempting to draw Pyongyang into a conflict. The Bush administration is currently reviewing U.S. policy with North Korea. Backers of the national missile defense shield have often mentioned Pyongyang's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs as one of the main reasons why the system should be built, though critics have said North Korea's missile programs are primitive and pose no threat to the United States' mainland. South Korea, Japan and the U.S. announced earlier this week that their leaders will hold key meetings next Monday, in Seoul, to discuss coordination of policy towards North Korea. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Jon E. Dougherty is a staff writer for WorldNetDaily. *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
