Cheney Wary Of China's Military And North Korea's Credibility

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
New York Times
February 24, 2007
Pg. 3


SYDNEY, Australia, Feb. 23 (Reuters) — Vice President Dick Cheney expressed concerns on Friday about China’s military buildup, and questioned whether North Korea would follow through on its commitments in a recent nuclear deal.
In a speech in Sydney, Mr. Cheney also emphasized the importance of keeping American forces in Iraq to prevent “jihadists” from gaining a base to spread violence across the Middle East.
Later, in an interview with ABC News, the vice president said again that a diplomatic solution on Iran’s nuclear program was possible, but noted that President Bush “has also made it clear that we haven’t taken any options off the table.”
In a speech on the second day of his three-day visit here, he praised China for its role in six-party talks that led to an accord under which North Korea agreed to disable its main plutonium-producing nuclear complex in return for heavy fuel oil.
But Mr. Cheney raised concerns over China’s military buildup: “Last month’s antisatellite tests, China’s continued fast-paced military buildup, are less constructive and are not consistent with China’s stated goal of a ‘peaceful rise.’ ”
In his first open acknowledgment of caution over the Korea deal, he called it a step toward disarmament but also raised concern about whether the North would follow through.
“In light of North Korea’s missile test last July, its nuclear test in October and its record of proliferation and human rights abuses, the regime in Pyongyang has much to prove,” he said, referring to the North’s capital, “yet this agreement represents the first hopeful step towards a better future for the North Korean people.”
 
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