I think the Governor's hubris is showing (because he implies he knows better than those in the USG or ROKG). His "mission" is indefensible. He has probably been one of the most exploited envoys the Kim Family Regime has ever used.
V/R
Dave
- January 4, 2013, 9:21 p.m. ET
Richardson Defends Mission to Pyongyang
WASHINGTON—Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson played down objections from the Obama administration and said Friday that he would go ahead with plans to lead a private humanitarian trip to North Korea less than a month after the Asian nation carried out a widely condemned long-range missile launch.
Mr. Richardson and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt will leave next week for a three-day visit in which the former Clinton administration official is expected to press North Korea to release a Washington state tour guide operator being held by the government.
The Obama administration privately convinced Mr. Richardson to delay the trip until after South Korea's presidential election on Dec. 19, Mr. Richardson said. This week, the State Department publicly prodded the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to again postpone his plans.
"They are well aware of our views that the timing of this is not great from our perspective," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Friday.
Despite the appeals, Mr. Richardson said he would go ahead with the trip.
"There is never a good time to go to North Korea because there's always something negative happening there," he said. "I understand their concerns."
Mr. Richardson said the missile launch would be among the issues he raises in talks with North Korean leaders, along with the nation's nuclear ambitions and its humanitarian record. The two men aren't expected to meet with North Korea's new president, Kim Jong Eun.
The fate of the American held by North Korea emerged as a bigger concern this week when Mr. Richardson was contacted by the family.
Jonathan Bae, the son of Kenneth Bae, a 44-year-old Korean-American reportedly detained late last year by North Korea while leading a small tour of the country, wrote to Mr. Richardson and urged him to take up his father's case.
"The son contacted me the day before yesterday and said: Please bring my dad home," said Mr. Richardson. "I think that's compelling."
Jonathan Bae and Kenneth Bae's mother both declined to comment on Mr. Richardson's trip.
For more than a quarter century, Mr. Richardson has traveled to North Korea on a variety of diplomatic and humanitarian missions. He said he has delayed previous trips at the request of the State Department. In 1996, with State Department support, he helped secure release of an American civilian accused of spying on North Korea.
(Continued at the link below)
No comments:
Post a Comment