McCain dismisses as naive Obama's call for NK talks without preconditions

By Hwang Doo-hyong

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Republican presidential nominee John McCain Friday dismissed as "naive" calls by his Democratic rival Barack Obama for direct talks with North Korea to resolve North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

"You will sit down across the table from them and that will legitimize their
illegal behavior... I will sit down with anybody but there's got to be
preconditions," Sen. McCain (R-Arizona) said in his first nationally televised
presidential debate with Illinois Senator Obama.
Describing North Korea as "the most repressive and brutal region probably on
earth," McCain said, "You legitimize those comments. This is dangerous as far as
North Korea is concerned."
He said he did not know "what the status of the (North Korean) Dear Leader's
health is today," referring to reports that the reclusive and enigmatic communist
leader Kim Jong-il is recovering from a stroke.
The reports coincided with North Korea's hardline position in the multilateral
talks on ending its nuclear weapons program amid concerns North Korea's military
might be taking advantage of a power vacuum created by Kim's health failure.
North Korea in recent days kicked out inspectors of the International Atomic
Energy Agency from its plutonium producing plant, apparently to put spent fuel
rods into the plant for production of plutonium for nuclear warheads.
The move highlighted a series of actions taken by the North recently to restart
its nuclear facilities disabled under a six-party nuclear deal in exchange for
energy and other economic aid and political benefits.
At stake is Washington's refusal to delist Pyongyang as a state sponsor of
terrorism, while asking the North to present a complete verification protocol for
its nuclear facilities.
In an apparent reference to the economic failure of the impoverished North ruled
by Kim and his father for the past decades, Mccain said, "The average South
Korean is three inches taller than the average North Korean."
McCain reminded his viewers of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan's remarks
"Trust but verify."
"The North Koreans have broken every agreement they've entered into," he said.
Obama, for his part, called for talks without preconditions, denouncing the Bush
administration for having allowed the North time to produce nuclear weapons amid
a lack of proper engagement.
"In North Korea, we cut off talks. They're a member of the axis of evil. We
can't deal with them. And you know what happened ?" Obama questioned.
"They went -- they quadrupled their nuclear capacity. They tested a nuke. They
tested missiles," he said, noting the North also pulled out of the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty and proliferated nuclear techonology to countries like
Syria.
North Korea detonated its first nuclear device in 2006, and Obama recently said
the North possesses eight nuclear bombs, without elaborating. The figure is the
median of the estimates of U.S. intelligence community which believes the North
has six to ten warheads.
"This notion that by not talking to people we are punishing them has not worked,"
Obama said. "It has not worked in Iran. It has not worked in North Korea."
Obama cited former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as saying, "We should
have contacts without preconditions, the idea is that we do not expect to solve
every problem before we initiate talks. And you know, the Bush administration has
come to recognize that it hasn't worked, this notion that we are simply silent
when it comes to our enemies."
Obama said he reserves "the right as president of the United States to meet with
anybody at a time and place of my choosing if I think it's going to keep America
safe."
McCain, boasting of his 35-year friendship with Kissinger, said Kissinger "would
not say that at presidential top level," claiming he encourages contacts at
secretary-level and lower levels which he said "we do all the time."