National security concerns

While the United States is preparing and seeking negotiations for a permanent and stable peace with North Korea in pursuit of nuclear disarmament, our governor and members of the business community are suing the U.S. government, in particular the Department of Homeland Security. Recently, our Legislature joined in passing a resolution to support of our Washington Delegate Kilili Sablan’s request for a 180-day delay, the reason being that our homeland is in an economic crisis and are questioning the exclusion of the Russian and China markets by DHS on visa waivers.

We have reason to believe that our government, Legislature, the business community and our Washington Delegate have no idea about the extent and implications surrounding national security. Now MVA is asking for public input on the matter.

Two weeks ago, on Feb. 8, 2009, The New York Times reported that Western diplomats were expecting Vice President Biden to announce a strategic review of a planned missile defense system as a way to defuse tensions between Washington and Moscow. Vice President Biden seemed to be balancing the need to appear firm with the administration’s hope to reverse the several-year slide in American-Russian relations. Russian cooperation is considered important to American attempts to keep Iran and North Korea from continuing with their nuclear programs.

On Feb. 14 on CNN Asia, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a 45-minute address to the New York-based Asia Society that the Obama administration is prepared to seek a permanent, stable peace with Pyongyang as long as its government pursues disarmament and does not engage in aggression against neighboring South Korea. “If North Korea is genuinely prepared to completely and verifiably eliminate their nuclear weapons program, the Obama administration will be willing to normalize bilateral relations, replace the peninsula’s lon-standing armistice agreements with a permanent peace treaty and assist in meeting the energy and other economic needs of the North Korean people,” she said. The United States wants to move forward with the six-party talks, working with China, South Korea, Japan, Russia and North Korea to address North Korea’s nuclear program, she said. However, keeping in line with the Obama administration’s approach of “engaging” its enemies, Clinton said the United States would consider bilateral contacts with Pyongyang.

Despite the olive branch, Clinton warned Pyongyang “to avoid any provocative action or unhelpful rhetoric toward South Korea.” Tensions between Pyongyang and its neighbor South Korea has increased in recent weeks, with North Korea announcing it would scrap peace agreements with the South, warning of a war on the Korean peninsula and threatening to test a missile capable of hitting the western United States.

Clinton also sought to reassure Japan, the top U.S. ally in the region, about its key concern, promising to meet with the families of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s. Calling the 50-year-old United States security alliance with Japan “unshakable,” Clinton said she will sign an agreement to move 8,000 U.S. troops from Okinawa to the island of Guam.