http://www.usmlo.org/archive2003/2003-03/07-09-04.htm
POWELL'S ASIA TRIP More U.S. Blackmail, Bribes and Might Makes Right >From February 21-25, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell visited Asia, making stops in Japan, China and the Republic of Korea (ROK). A State Department spokesman outlined the stated aims of the trip on February 19: "The principal purpose of the trip is to go to Seoul for the inauguration of Roh Moon-hyun as President of the Republic of Korea," he said. The trip, he continued, is also "a very important opportunity to talk with our allies and friends in North Asia about the situation in north Korea" and "also an opportunity to talk with other governments about the situation in Iraq, and particularly with China as a member of the Security Council." Powell set the tone for his "consultations on north Korea" by making more open threats against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) during a February 21 press briefing. "We are continuing to pursue a policy that says that we are not poised to invade north Korea, but we have not taken any of the options that are available to the president off the table," Powell told reporters on his plane. He then made clear that a main aim of his visit was to push the U.S. provocation of internationalizing the "nuclear issue" on the Korean peninsula. One "option on the table," the U.S. has emphasized, is first strike use of nuclear weapons. The U.S., which has massed troops and nuclear weapons in south Korea and on ships, subs and bombers throughout the region, is said to not be a threat. The DPRK, which has never used nuclear weapons and has no weapons or troops outside its borders, is said to be an "international" threat. As with U.S. claims about Iraq threatening the world, the peoples of the region, through demonstrations and numerous other actions, targeted the U.S. as the threat to Korea and world peace. The U.S. is also rejecting the DPRK's proposal for a non-aggression pact as the means to peacefully resolve the matter. Powell said, "We are still hoping that we will be able to get a dialogue going, but we feel strongly that it should be a multilateral dialogue or a multilateral forum for this dialogue. It is not just a U.S.-DPRK matter." The trip, however, showed the U.S. is increasingly isolated in this view. Both China and the ROK rejected it, calling instead for dialogue between the U.S. and DPRK. The Australian foreign minister, Alexander Downer, in Seoul for the Roh inauguration, was quoted as saying, "Whether one likes it or not - and I don't particularly like it - this will have to be resolved bilaterally." In Beijing, Vice President Hu Jintao told the New China News Agency that China wanted the U.S. to hold "direct dialogues" with the DPRK "as soon as possible." He made his comments minutes after meeting with Powell. In Seoul, Kim Dae Jung said in his final speech as President on February 24 that "more than anything, dialogue between north Korea and the United States is the important key to the solution." The new ROK President, Roh Moo Hyun, said the same. He won his campaign chiefly on the basis of promises not to kowtow to the U.S. and to strengthen relations with the north. "Koreans should stand together," he said in a speech to the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, "although things will get difficult when the United States bosses us around." As well, as The New York Times reported, "Mr. Roh has spoken in recent weeks of establishing an economic community with north Korea, stepping up trade, aid and investment there, ruling out economic sanctions and military strikes against the country and even personally 'guaranteeing' north Korea's security." The Washington Post pointed out that Roh "in his inaugural speech had staked out his differences with Washington." Powell, on the other hand, claimed the Koreans support the U.S. approach. He backed this claim with an open threat to forever occupy Korea. "This year the United States and the Republic of Korea commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of our bilateral alliance," Powell said. "The United States will spare no effort in the future to strengthen our alliance." Koreans south and north have long taken the stand that removing U.S. troops and achieving peaceful independent reunification is what is needed to remove the threat of war and provide conditions for lasting peace. The past year has seen a massive increase in vigils and protests in the south demanding U.S. Troops Out. Showing that the U.S. is acting to eliminate diplomacy as a fundamental part of international relations, during his trip Powell openly pushed blackmail and bribes, provocations and military might. The biggest bucks and the biggest guns are to determine world affairs, not principle, not justice, not peaceful resolutions through political means. Bribes and threats to Turkey, Mexico, and Japan are only some of the more blatant examples. It was also widely reported that Powell "sought assurances" that China would abstain from voting on the U.S.-British Security Council resolution the U.S. hopes will sanction the unleashing of a U.S.-led war on Iraq. While promotion of various back-channel deals was widespread, reports from China indicate that Powell's efforts bore no immediate fruit. China Daily reports that Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Tang Jiaxuan "told Powell that China hopes all parties concerned will try every possible means to avoid war in Iraq and seek a political solution to the Iraq issue within the framework of the United Nations." The report added, "Tang said most members of the international community, including China, believed it was imperative now to continue weapons inspections in Iraq to find out the truth, rather than working on a new UN resolution on Iraq." The New York Times reported, "Asked whether the Chinese had agreed to abstain, Mr. Powell said he had deferred that discussion - suggesting that the differences between the two countries remain significant." ------------------ Joshua "In the world through which I travel, I am endlessly creating myself." -Frantz Fanon _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
