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North Korea cuts all Ties with South Korea

Hillary Clinton backs South Korea as North cuts ties with neighbor

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North Korea 'severs all ties' with Seoul

Page last updated at 16:22 GMT, Tuesday, 25 May 2010 17:22 UK

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Pyongyang said all ties, including communications, would be cut

North Korea is to cut all relations with South Korea, Pyongyang's official news agency reports.

KCNA said the North was also expelling all South Korean workers from a jointly-run factory north of the border.

The move comes after an international report blamed North Korea for sinking a South Korean warship.

Pyongyang denies it torpedoed the Cheonan near the inter-Korean maritime border on 26 March, killing 46 sailors.

South Korea says it plans to refer North Korea to the UN Security Council, and is seeking a unified international response to the incident.

'Puppet army gangs'

Tuesday's KCNA reports announcing the severing of all ties - including communications - said the North was also banning South Korean ships and planes from its territorial waters and airspace.

Analysis

Continue reading the main story

Jonathan Marcus
BBC Diplomatic Correspondent

Within a matter of days relations between the two Koreas have returned to the freezer.

The diplomatic goal now will be to ensure that a renewed cold war on the Korean peninsula does not generate into a hot conflict.

The United States is firmly backing South Korea but US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - who has been in the Chinese capital Beijing as events unfolded - has failed to extract any public criticism of North Korea from the Chinese authorities.

Her hope will be that in private Beijing will tell Pyongyang in no uncertain terms that it should do nothing to inflame this crisis further.

"The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea... formally declares that from now on it will put into force the resolute measures to totally freeze the inter-Korean relations, totally abrogate the agreement on non-aggression between the North and the South and completely halt the inter-Korean cooperation," KCNA reported.

Pyongyang has also accused South Korea of trespassing in its waters.

In a warning to South Korea's navy, a newsreader on North Korean state television (KRT) said: "South Korean puppet army gangs have been recently trespassing our territorial waters without restraint.

"They have conducted provocative acts which severely irritate us, by making dozens of warships intrude upon our waters from 14 to 24 May."

The newsreader said that if this "deliberate provocation" continued, the North would "put into force practical military measures to defend its waters".

North and South Korea are technically still at war after the Korean conflict ended without an armistice in 1953.

While there were hopes of a reconciliation a few years ago, relations have been deteriorating since then and now appear to be at their lowest point in a decade, correspondents say.

Provocation

Amid the rising tensions, Seoul announced on Sunday it was ending trade relations with the North in response to the sinking of the Cheonan.

South Korea has also said it will drop propaganda leaflets into the North to tell people about the sinking, as well as setting up giant electronic billboards to flash messages.

ATTACKS BLAMED ON NORTH

Continue reading the main story

• Jan 1967 - South Korean warship attacked near border, 39 sailors killed
• Jan 1968 - presidential palace in Seoul attacked, 71 killed
• Oct 1983 - bomb blast at Rangoon memorial during visit by South Korean president, 21 killed
• Nov 1987 - South Korean airliner bombed, 115 killed
• Mar 2010 - Cheonan warship attacked, 46 sailors killed

How the ship was sunk S Koreans divided over the North Timeline: North Korean attacks Q&A: Cheonan sinking

It has resumed propaganda broadcasts to the North, playing radio programmes that will soon be broadcast via border loudspeakers.

The US, which has thousands of troops based in South Korea, has backed Seoul, condemning the incident and confirming late on Monday that it will hold joint anti-submarine naval exercises with South Korean forces.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the US and China must work together to "fashion an effective response" to the sinking of the Cheonan.

Speaking in Beijing, Mrs Clinton said maintaining peace on the Korean peninsula was "a shared responsibility" between the countries.

China has called for all sides to show restraint, adding its voice to calls for international co-operation over the incident.

Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said Beijing was "ready to work together with the US and other parties and continue to stay in close touch on the situation on the Korean peninsula".

On Tuesday Wu Dawei, China's special representative for Korean affairs, arrived in Seoul for talks with Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan.

Analysts say China's attitude is key, because it holds a veto in the Security Council and has in the past been reluctant to impose tough measures on Pyongyang.

Mrs Clinton is also due in Seoul for talks on Wednesday.

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Pentagon 'to boost covert missions in Middle East'

Page last updated at 12:59 GMT, Tuesday, 25 May 2010 13:59 UK

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By Nick Childs, BBC defence and security correspondent The new order from Gen Petraeus will expand the range of covert operations

The Pentagon has ordered an expansion of covert missions by US special operation forces in the Middle East and Central Asia.

The New York Times newspaper said it has seen the copy of a seven-page order by the head of US Central Command, General David Petraeus.

The directive - signed in September - focuses on gathering of intelligence and building ties with local forces.

The US Defence Department has not made any official comment on the report.

According to the New York Times, US troops will carry out special missions in both friendly and hostile nations and Gen Petraeus's order is aimed at making such efforts more systematic and long term.

The paper says the order calls for small teams of American troops - presumably special operations forces - to fill intelligence gaps.

Moving threat

Its goals are to build networks that could penetrate, disrupt, defeat, or destroy militant groups like al-Qaeda, and also prepare the environment for future attacks by American or local military forces.

The paper says the document appears to authorise specific operations in Iran.

The Pentagon has increased its covert operations in recent years.

It has also acknowledged an increase in co-operation with countries like Yemen.

The move may be a response to the concern expressed by many that the threat from militants has migrated elsewhere while the United States has been concentrating on Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Israel NPT treaty Dillema -- Iran asks for Nuclear Free Middle east - Israel Declines showing hypocrisy

Israel under pressure to join NPT

Nearly 190 nations have agreed to a declaration that pressures Israel to join the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and calls for a 2012 conference on nuclear weapons in the Middle East. Delegates in New York wrapped up a month-long round of talks on Friday aimed at updating the NPT. Their final declaration urges Israel to join the treaty and subject its nuclear facilities to oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The document calls for the United Nations secretary-general to call a meeting of Middle East states in 2012, aimed at creating a region free of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. All 189 signatories to the treaty unanimously approved the declaration on Friday night. The text also reaffirms the commitment of existing nuclear powers to reducing their arsenals. But the future of that 2012 conference is already in doubt: General James Jones, the US national security adviser, said the US "will not permit a conference or actions that could jeopardise Israel’s national security". US defends Israel "We will not accept any approach that singles out Israel or sets unrealistic expectations," he said in a statement. in depth Interview: Queen Noor on nuclear disarmament Iran's arms race with Israel Inside Story: A world without atomic weapons Riz Khan: Global nuclear disarmament Empire: The US nuclear obsession with Iran Countdown: The Iran/Israel arms race In a separate statement released on Saturday, Barack Obama, the US president, said he "strongly oppose[s] efforts to single out Israel." Israel is one of only three states which never signed the NPT, the other two being India and Pakistan. It is believed to have a nuclear arsenal, though it refuses to confirm or deny its existence. An Israeli government official described the deal as "hypocrisy" because it makes no mention of other countries that have not signed the NPT. Israel's reaction "This accord has the hallmark of hypocrisy," the unnamed government official told the AFP news agency. "Only Israel is mentioned, while the text is silent about other countries like India, Pakistan and North Korea, which have nuclear arms, or even more seriously, Iran, which is seeking to obtain them." The 2012 meeting - on a "weapons of mass destruction"-free Middle East - could effectively force Israel to declare and dismantle its nuclear weapons program. Israel has said it backs such an agreement in principle, but only after signing peace treaties with other countries in the region. The US had initially sought to block the provision; Washington has long shielded Israel from pressure to disclose the details of its nuclear programme. But American diplomats eventually agreed to the provision to salvage the conference. "The Arab group basically drew a line in the sand and said, this is as far as we can go in compromising. This language must stay, or we will not back the final document," Al Jazeera's Kristen Saloomey said, reporting from New York. "[And] the United States was very interested in moving this agenda of non-proliferation forward." Ellen Tauscher, the US under-secretary of state for arms control, said "the United States deeply regrets" that the draft pressures Israel to join the NPT. If negotiators agree on a bargain, it would be the first successful NPT review meeting since 2000.

Source

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UN talks back conference on nuclear-free Middle East

Page last updated at 8:56 GMT, Saturday, 29 May 2010 9:56 UK

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Iran has faced international pressure over its nuclear programme

Nearly 200 nations, signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), have agreed to work towards a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East.

The members, meeting at the UN in New York, called for a conference in 2012 attended by Middle Eastern states - including Iran - to establish the zone.

The unanimously agreed document also said that Israel should sign the NPT.

US President Barack Obama backed the deal but said he was "strongly opposed" to Israel being singled out.

The US says the reference could jeopardise efforts to persuade the Israelis to attend the 2012 talks.

An Israel official later denounced the document as "hypocrisy".

"Only Israel is mentioned, while the text is silent about other countries like India, Pakistan and North Korea, which have nuclear arms, or even more seriously, Iran, which is seeking to obtain them," a senior government official told AFP news agency on condition of anonymity.

'Important step'

The 28-page final declaration was agreed by 189 member states following intense talks on the last day of a month-long conference on strengthening the NPT, the cornerstone of global disarmament efforts.

Continue reading the main story

All eyes the world over are watching us

Libran Cabactulan NPT conference president

The document calls for the United Nations secretary general to organise a meeting of Middle East states in 2012 to agree to the creation of a "zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction".

"All eyes the world over are watching us," said conference president Libran Cabactulan, of the Philippines, as the final text was approved.

Egypt's Maged Abedelaziz, speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement of 118 developing nations, welcomed the decision, saying it was "an important step forward towards the realisation of the goals and objectives of the treaty".

Diplomats discussing the proposals had continued talks late into the night on Thursday before resuming on Friday.

One of the sticking points involved Israel, which is not a member of the NPT, and is widely believed to have nuclear weapons. It has never admitted possessing them.

Arab states and Israel's allies had to work hard to find agreement over wording for the proposed nuclear-weapons-free zone.

However flawed some believe the existing non-proliferation machinery to be, all agree that it has at least been partially rehabilitated after a decade of failure

Barbara Plett BBC UN correspondent Modest progress at NPT talks

Correspondents say Arab nations want to put pressure on Israel to relinquish its undeclared nuclear arsenal.

Iran also made a late demand that the five recognised nuclear-armed nations agree to a timetable for negotiating a treaty to abolish their arsenals.

In the final document adopted, no specific timetable is set out but the five states commit to "accelerate concrete progress" towards reducing their nuclear arsenals and to report back on that in 2014.

Iran has faced repeated questions over its own nuclear programme, which the West believes is aimed at making weapons. Tehran insists it is solely designed to meet its energy needs.

Iran, a member of the NPT, says it will stick to its obligations under the treaty.

The NPT has encountered difficulty in coming up with the best method for monitoring suspect nuclear programmes in Iran and North Korea.

India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel - which are known or suspected to have nuclear weapons - are not signatories to the treaty. They are not covered by any NPT agreement.

The NPT conference meets every five years. The last review conference, in 2005, failed to adopt a consensus declaration.

Source

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Israel rejects Middle East nuclear talks plan

Page last updated at 17:45 GMT, Saturday, 29 May 2010 18:45 UK

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Israeli leaders do not comment on the country's nuclear status

Israel says it will not take part in a conference aimed at achieving a nuclear-arms free Middle East, proposed at a UN meeting in New York.

Nearly 200 nations, signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), backed plans for the meeting in 2012.

In a document agreed at the talks, Israel was singled out for criticism.

Israel, which has not signed the NPT, dismissed the document as "deeply flawed" and "hypocritical".

"It ignores the realities of the Middle East and the real threats facing the region and the entire world," the Israeli government said in a statement quoted by the AFP news agency.

Continue reading the main story

We strongly oppose efforts to single out Israel, and will oppose actions that jeopardise Israel's national security

Barack Obama US president Iran narrowly wins nuclear battle Israel deflects nuclear pressure

"Given the distorted nature of this resolution, Israel will not be able to take part in its implementation."

The statement was issued in Canada, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting.

In the past, the Israeli government has refused to comment on rumours that Israel has a stockpile of nuclear weapons.

In April, Mr Netanyahu pulled out of a US summit on nuclear arms after learning that Egypt and Turkey intended to raise the issue.

'Insignificant' document

Some 189 nations agreed to the 28-page document following a month-long conference on strengthening the NPT, the cornerstone of global disarmament efforts.

The document urged Israel to sign the NPT, but did not mention Iran, a nation widely suspected of having a nuclear-weapons programme.

Analysts say this was a diplomatic victory for Iran, which denies seeking a nuclear weapon.

The US was among the nations who agreed the document, but President Barack Obama warned that he did not agree with Israel's treatment.

"We strongly oppose efforts to single out Israel, and will oppose actions that jeopardise Israel's national security," he said.

Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon promised that his country's co-operation with the US would remain unchanged, but he condemned the document as "insignificant".

"Iran has signed [the treaty], Iraq has signed it... Syria has signed it, and we see that it hasn't stopped them from seriously breaking the treaty and from trying to bypass it," he said.

Israel also questioned why India and Pakistan - declared nuclear states who have not signed the treaty - were not singled out for mention.

Source

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