U.S. Chooses Economic Pressure on North Korea

U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said on Saturday that the U.S. hopes that it will resolve the issue surrounding North Korea’s nuclear weapons program by imposing economic pressure.

At the 2nd annual Asia Security Conference, organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Wolfowitz said that “North Korea is teetering on the edge of economic collapse. This is key to resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.” He added that in the case of Iraq, it was difficult to put economic pressure on the Hussein government, which was supported by Iraqi oil, and that the situation in North Korea was different.

However, he did not unveil detailed plans to impose economic pressure on the communist country.

The Pentagon’s No 2. man said: "Even if the U.S. took military action or provided economic aid to the North, it would take a long time to resolve the nuclear issue" and that "there is no other option than establishing a common front with Asian nations to put pressure on the North."

When asked about the possibility of a U.S. preemptive strike on the North, he denied the possibility saying that preemptive strike would be possible only through agreement among related nations.

Defense officials and military experts from the U.S. and 24 Asian nations including Japan, South Korea and Indonesia at this Asia Security Conference. After the security meeting in Singapore, Paul Wolfowitz visited South Korea on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Japanese Mainichi newspaper reported on Saturday that U.S. National Security advisor Condoleezza Rice said, “All nations need to make the North understand that the nuclear crisis will not be resolved in this way.”

At a gathering with reporters held just before U.S. President George W. Bush`s visits to Europe, Russia, and the Middle East, the National Security Advisor reconfirmed that the U.S. did not rule out any options to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. However, she stressed that Bush believes that a peaceful resolution is possible.

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