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Libyan Disarmament Could Serve as Model for North Korean Crisis, U.S. Lawmaker Says By Mike Nartker WASHINGTON — Libya’s decision to renounce weapons of mass destruction, and its subsequent dismantlement of its weapons programs, could provide models for resolving the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula, a senior U.S. lawmaker said yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 26). Representative Tom Lantos (Calif.), the top Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, said he hoped Pyongyang would see the benefits Libya has received from its decision. Chief among those is Tripoli’s continuing reintegration into the international community, he said. “I believe that our experience with Libya has great potential to lure North Korea out of its shell, and to help bring about a fundamental change in U.S.-North Korean relations,” said Lantos, who led a U.S. delegation to North Korea last month. Lantos noted the similarities between North Korea and Libya prior to Tripoli ceasing WMD development, including international isolation and the burden of economic sanctions. “North Korea now has the same opportunity as Libya to make a dramatic and bold decision to reverse course and to join the community of civilized nations,” he said. North Korean leaders have publicly rejected any comparison between the two countries, and Lantos said that was the case during initial meetings with officials in Pyongyang. “By the end of my visit, I believe I had opened their minds on the subject.” Lantos called on Pyongyang to indicate its willingness to permanently abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and to allow international inspections to verify that such efforts have ended. In return, the United States is prepared to “normalize relations” with North Korea, he said, describing such a move as an end to sanctions, providing Pyongyang with multilateral security guarantees and the provision of economic and energy aid. Lantos’ remarks came days after North Korea publicly announced that it possessed nuclear weapons and that it would not participate in the stalled six-party talks to resolve the crisis, which have also involved China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States. The North Korean Foreign Ministry cited U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s use of the term “outpost of tyranny” to describe Pyongyang as one of its chief reasons for abandoning the talks. Describing the North Korean announcement as “immature and predictable and frivolous,” Lantos yesterday said he believed Pyongyang would resume talks on its nuclear program. “I believe that this latest announcement was simply a traditional bargaining move on their part, not an irrevocable decision,” he said. For its part, the Bush administration should incorporate lessons learned from the diplomatic tactics used to achieve Libya’s WMD disarmament, which included secret, high-level direct talks with Tripoli, Lantos said. “I am not suggesting a fundamental revision of U.S. policy towards North Korea, only changes in approach designed to maximize the chances of success,” he said. While supporting the multilateral approach the White House has so far used in dealing with North Korea, Lantos called for a U.S. negotiator to be sent to the six-party talks “who has the authority to negotiate, not simply lecture.” “It is the nature, the approach, the atmosphere … which can make enormous difference,” he said, asking the administration to refrain from “inflammatory” remarks toward Pyongyang. In addition, the United States should examine the use of “informal settings” in its dealings with Pyongyang, Lantos said, noting his own experiences with North Korean officials. “My best progress … was achieved over dinner, not in formal meetings,” he said.
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