Friday 25 December 2015

(New Year Special) N. Korea's Kim unlikely to visit China if he sticks to nuclear ambition

2015/12/24 09:00

South Korea, the United States and other regional powers are urging China to do more in coaxing North Korea back to multilateral talks on the North's nuclear program. Kim, for his part, has shown no signs of giving up his nuclear ambition.

North Korea pulled out of the six-nation nuclear talks in late 2008 and staged its third nuclear test in early 2013.

China, which remains North Korea's key ally, diplomatic backer and economic lifeline, has expressed displeasure over the North's nuclear advances, although it remains unclear whether Beijing is exerting more leverage over Pyongyang.

With North Korea's ruling party preparing for its largest convention in 35 years in May next year, some analysts in South Korea have suggested that Kim may visit Beijing before or after the party congress as a bid to showcase his diplomatic achievement to the North Korean people.

Given China's stated goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, analysts said it does not make sense for Chinese President Xi Jinping to welcome Kim in Beijing unless Kim shows sincere willingness to abandon the country's nuclear program.

Zhang Liangui, a professor of Korean studies at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, said, "There is a huge difference on the issue of denuclearization between China and North Korea."

"Japanese and South Korean media have reported the possibility of a visit by Kim Jong-un to China next year. But, China denied (the reports)," Zhang said.

"Taking into consideration the current nuclear stalemate, I believe that the possibility of his visit to China is low," Zhang said.

Wang Junsheng, an associate professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said a summit between Kim and Xi would be unlikely unless North Korea complies with obligations under a 2005 deal in which North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for aid and security assurances.

"Unless North Korea returns to the Sept. 19 Joint Statement, such a meeting would be highly unlikely," Wang said, referring to the deal that was reached during the six-party talks in September 2005.

The deal eventually collapsed due to a disagreement over verifying North Korea's past nuclear activity.

This month's abrupt cancellation of a concert in Beijing by an all-female North Korean band is also adding to the diplomatic uncertainties between North Korea and China.

In what was seen as a fresh sign that ties between the allies were on the mend after years of strain over North Korea's nuclear program, the North's Moranbong Band, formed by leader Kim, had been scheduled to perform in Beijing on Dec. 12. But, the band abruptly returned home hours before the concert was scheduled to begin.

The canceled concert came about two months after Liu Yunshan, the Chinese Communist Party's fifth-ranked official, visited Pyongyang and held talks with Kim.

Both North Korea and China remained tightlipped over the reason behind the cancellation of the much-anticipated concert.

Whatever the reason, a diplomatic source in Beijing with knowledge of the ties between North Korea and China said Beijing "lost face" in dealing with Pyongyang.

"Outwardly, both North Korea and China pretend as if nothing had happened," the source said on the condition of anonymity. "But, mistrust over North Korea would be further deepened inside the Chinese leadership following the sudden cancellation of the concert by the Moranbong Band."

How the CIA Got Korea's Future Wrong 15 Years Ago

The CIA predicted in 2000 that the two Koreas would be unified by 2015, with South Korea emerging as a military heavyweight in Asia.

The wildly inaccurate projection was part of a 70-page report in 2000 that tried to predict the near future and also guessed that the world would be feasting on cloned beef burgers by now.

The Telegraph on Tuesday compared the present situation with the CIA's predictions and also pointed to aspects the intelligence agency got right, like the widespread use of mobile communication devices, which would signify the "biggest global transformation since the industrial revolution."

When the report came out, the dot-com bubble had just burst, leading to skepticism about the IT industry, and it would be a decade before the first smartphone hit the market.

Thursday 24 December 2015

Israel’s gold exports to North Korea

All that glitters: Israel’s gold exports to North Korea

Official appears to give incorrect data on gold and other exports to the DPRK

Leo Byrne

December 22nd, 2015

Israel ran afoul of UN sanctions earlier in December when the country’s Tax Authority was questioned on gold exports to North Korea which reportedly took place in 2011.

Speaking to Israel’s Knesset’s Economic Affairs Committee, Tax Authority export director David Khuri gave a mixed bag of answers on questions relating to breaches of UN luxury good sanctions, sometimes giving incorrect dates and information.

Khuri called the gold shipments – which were valued at around $347,000 – a “disgrace” to country, telling the committee they were unearthed by the UN and that further export attempts had since been blocked.

“To my regret there was export of gold, and regretfully (the UN) discovered this and we were required to give explanations,” Khuri said in comments carried by Haartez.

The export director however then made a couple of claims apparently at odds both with the data contained in the UN Comtrade database, and that in Isreal’s own numbers (from which the UN numbers are generated).

“There has been almost no exporting of gold to North Korea sonce (sic) 2011, and our exports only included books and dental implants,” Khuri added, according to another local news outlet ynetnews.com.

According to the trade databases however, the gold was not exported in 2011, but in 2013 and no other gold exports after 2006 are listed. Further exports over the last four years also include potentially sanctioned organic chemicals, wine (a real bargain if trade figures are to be believed at 1600 litres for $2000), aluminium, printing machinery, articles of wood and other miscellaneous chemical products.

The total listed value of the trade is $853,000, mostly on the back of the gold and chemicals shipments.

When contacted by NK News, the Tax Authority stood by the numbers.

“Mr. Khuri presented to the committee members accurate data, according to the information found in the customs’ database, regarding the subjects he was asked about,” the organisation’s senior media officer Iris Dor-On said , despite the database indicating otherwise.

Israel’s customs database

WEIGHT IN GOLD

Whether or not certain trades breach sanctions and how seriously, can often depend when they took place. North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic programs trigged fresh rounds of UN sanctions between 2006 and 2013, with later designations often building on earlier ones.

The most recent resolution in 2013 included a more defined list of luxury goods which previous documents lacked. After the third nuclear test, the UN Security Council also decided to try and further squeeze Pyongyang’s elite, by limiting exports of precious metals, stones and luxury vehicles.

“(The resolution) reaffirms the measures imposed in paragraph 8 (a) (iii) of resolution 1718 (2006) regarding luxury goods, and clarifies that the term ‘luxury goods’ includes, but is not limited to, the items specified in annex IV of this resolution,” article 23 of Resolution 2094 reads.

Providing the North Korean government with gold however is problematic for another reason. Under the increasingly watchful eye of the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset’s Control (OFAC), the dollar has become a risky currency for the DPRK.

Gold could be used as way to circumvent the restrictions and allow North Korea to trade more freely. Resolution 2094 urges UN member states to monitor transfers of bulk cash to the DPRK, expressing “concern that transfers to the DPRK of bulk cash may be used to evade the measures imposed in resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013).”

“Gold is another form of payment that evades the formal financial system. UNSCR 2094 issued calls to be vigilant for and restrict the DPRK’s use of alternate means of payment, particularly bulk cash transfer. If the DPRK can get its hands on gold it will have a way to trade with most,” Andrea Berger, deputy director of proliferation and nuclear policy at RUSI told NK News.

The earlier resolutions did not call for the same vigilance on bulk cash or financial transfers, so gold exports occurring in 2011, instead of after the publication of Resolution 2094 in March 2013 could potentially run up against different sanctions.

LOOPHOLES?

Further complicating the sanctions picture is how well UN member states implement the Security Council’s resolutions into their national legislation. The UN itself does not enforce trade relationships between countries, nor prosecute companies or individuals that don’t pay attention to sanctions.

Local media in Israel also reported on the oddity of the exports occurring nearly a decade after the first DPRK designations. According to Harretz, the long delay was in translating UN sanctions into Israeli law was remedied on December 9 this year.

“A representative of the Economy Ministry’s legal department, Dalit Rennert, presented the order and said it would allow supervision of exports to North Korea and set that the export will be allowed only with a license. Likewise, the order sets a list of luxury products banned from exports,” Hareetz reported on the same day.

The lack of previously existing legislation was blamed for the loophole, which subsequently allowed the export of the gold with little apparent oversight. Israel’s Tax authority told NK News they were only an “enforcer” when answering questions on why no action was taken on the exports until 2015, adding they did not deal with issues regarding to UN sanctions.

“No such permits concerning goods, services and technology referred to in Council resolutions 1718 (2006) and 1874 (2009) have been given,”

But the claim that Israel had no laws to back up sanctions seems in tension with what they told the UN in 2010. Member states update the Security Council on the implementation of various sanctions and resolutions and according to the UN’s website, Israel filed two implementation reports in 2007 and 2010.

The second document implies that at least some legislation was put in place after the passage of resolution 1874 in 2009.

“In accordance with its domestic legislation, transactions or transfers involving goods, services and technology referred to in Council resolutions 1718 (2006) and 1874 (2009) require official authorization, by means of a permit, from various governmental authorities,” it reads.

“No such permits concerning goods, services and technology referred to in Council resolutions 1718 (2006) and 1874 (2009) have been given,” it adds.

The wording appears similar to reported by Harretz on December 9, which also claimed a license would be required for exports to North Korea.

“The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has duly informed all relevant domestic authorities of Council resolution 1874 (2009), together with a reference to its requirements and the additions it makes to the previous resolution, with a view to ensuring the implementation of its obligations,” the report continues.

The Tax Authority and Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the 2010 implementation report, or why there was no enforcement of the “domestic legislation” alluded to in it, which should have covered the (albeit somewhat vague) definition of luxury goods outlined in the 2006 resolution.

ALL THAT GLITTERS?

Other media reports on the exports mentioned David Khuri briefly spoke of other exports aside from the gold, but gave few details.

One potential eyebrow raising export which went unmentioned was the 2010, $56,000 shipment of “organic derivatives of hydrazine/of hydroxylamine”. The former chemical –when above a 70 percent concentration – is mentioned in the UN sanctions list 19 times, given its various spinoffs can be used as fuel for small rockets.

“China currently uses hydrazine as propellant … North Korea, like China, has been using hydrazine for rocket propellant as well. (It) is not used in large rockets but still in small rockets to put satellites in orbit,” Kwon Se-jin, a professor at the department of aerospace engineering at South Korea’s KAIST University told NK News.

The other chemical, hydroxylamine, is not designated by the UN, though could potentially be used in similar applications.

“Hydroxylamine nitrate is one of the candidates under research to replace hydrazine in the future,” Kwon added.

However tracking down the exact nature of the shipment is challenging. Custom’s databases rarely include information on the companies actually conducting the trade, nor would they be under any obligation to talk about a sanctions breaching export. Also, while some business directories list exporting companies by sector, membership is not obligatory so lists are not exhaustive.

The problem extends to other potentially sanctioned trades and countries. Israel is not the only exporter of hydrazine/hydroxylamine to North Korea since 2006. Membership of that dubious club also belongs to Italy, India and China, with the latter the only country to send shipments in 2014, though to this day Israel’s delivery remains the largest.

The problem extends to other potentially sanctioned trades and countries

The DPRK however may not need to import hydrazine above 70 percent concentrations, and could also perfectly legitimately order less concentrated or unsanctioned variants for more benign uses.

“Nearly every country working on space development projects domestically produces the main chemicals used in aircraft (or) space rockets. And I assume that applies in North Korea’s case too. They would not rely on hydrazine imports from abroad,” Kwon continued.

Nonetheless, despite a good probability the export was not in breach of sanctions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not appear willing to clarify the shipment.

“We don’t comment on this issue,” they told NK News.

Additional reporting by Jiwon Song

Featured Image: Gold Bar by Philip Taylor PT on 2013-03-18 09:52:24

On Evil, should it exist

We are all only human. No one is above this condition. No one is below this condition. The remarkable Socialist Government of Greece has to deal with many Neo-Nazis, as Evil as ISIS, elected into their Parliament democratically. The Greek people now have to deal with not only these Greek Nazis, but also with the current Nazis of Germany and Europe and the US. As time goes by we will also have to accept other forms of Extremism in our Governments simply because this is how we maintain some balance. This is how we best maintain our slow survivable way.
Majority rules, minority rights...and lots of institutions in between. That's how it's done.
The majority people of Iraq, the Shia, need to talk with the minority people of Iraq, the Sunni, who make up ISIS: this is their business, not ours. It has never been our business, is not our business, and never will be our business. Neither is any more evil than the other...it is just that one has been driven to extremes.The best way for these factions of the one people, and the one sovereign nation, to work out these issues is not for us to bomb one faction over another. Just because we have the weapons and the means to insanity on a grand scale, we do not have to use them, we do not have to be insane as a human civilisation. There is nothing wrong with peace, love and understanding. There is nothing wrong with not being involved in another family's problems, but there is something very wrong with organising attacks and invasions to steal other people's oil, land and houses; and to base a whole national and international morality on that one greedy pecuniary thing...and to call that 'Good'. What we are doing in the Middle East is not good at all, it is evil and evil does beget evil, they say, and we see that...with every bombing raid...and we need to stop doing that.
If the notion of Evil actually exists at all, and I have doubts about that...then it isn't interested in blowing up some people in Paris, Evil is far more interested in controlling monetary and human systems en masse...and I believe Evil, if it exists, actual does do that quite often. Evil has nothing to do with humans blowing up each other on any meagre scale. Evil has nothing to do with any human religion at all. Evil's job is to control the whole human world mind and heart for a long time. Evil has nothing to do with jihad or crusades etc. that's just the rhetoric. The reality is within our government systems that keep suffering immigrants, escaping Evil, locked up in prison camps, as Australia does every day.There's real human suffering there, and we do it to our equals, and we are happy with doing it. We are happy to be torturing...us..and we actually think that this is good, and we want to keep doing this and even punishing the innocent more. That's how we are as a society. We certainly won't elect any government that wants to stop us punishing victims...as much ourselves as ourselves. That's real evil. Australia does Evil right to the bone of being, and likes it. We'll vote out anyone who stands up, who doesn't want more. We've got the taste for it now.

Dealing with ISIS, the IRA, and Australian Aborigines

The Western Plan for ISIS:
1: Well, first, we are going to annihilate them. When that doesn't work, well, we're going to 2: Negotiate with them, then, when that doesn't work, we're going to 3: Assimilate them, and then when that doesn't work, we're going to 4: Integrate them, and then, when that doesn't work, we're going to 5: Give them Self Determination...just like we did with those other evil anti-human Death Cults, who respected none of our modern civilising qualities, the Australian Aborigines, and the Irish Republicans. After all, we know what we are doing here. We've dealt with these kind of pagans before.

Tuesday 22 December 2015

'Next-Senator for Far North Queensland' John Fitzpatrick's 10 Core Policies for Australia:

here is my ten point policy platform for my run for Senator here:

'Next-Senator for Far North Queensland' John Fitzpatrick's 10 Core Policies:

Policy One: "If the country can afford to pay a locum psychiatrist $2000 a day, give them a car and a house, then we could increase nurses pay rates quite a bit...at least double them, and double the penalty rates for everyone working those ungodly hours caring for others, and in all the service industries, dealing with others, outside normal hours."

Policy Two: "Our Defence Forces should be helping Australians facing perennial disasters here rather than causing disasters for others a long way away. It'd be a hundred times cheaper and the outcomes would be much better for our country and for the world."

Policy Three: "Australia needs to make itself into a Republic, with our own Head of State who is not the Fxxking Queen of England, nor any of her gross bizarre progeny. Royalty has been a remarkably expensive human experiment in genetics that failed miserably. Look at Saudi Arabia, England, and North Korea. Genetic manipulation is not a good idea. Genetic Superiority is not acceptable as a system or creed. It forms the base of the most odious discrimination within the human family."

Policy Four: "Australia needs immigrants right now for us to have any decent future. We don't need to torture them in New Guinea out of self-fear and self-loathing, and general gross spite towards others."

Policy Five: "The decision to end one's life via Euthanasia or Palliative Care should be equally available to every Australian. This is not a Medical Decision, this is not a Religious Decision, this is a Secular Human decision of mandated people with free will, based upon human compassion and understanding of mortality."

Policy Six: A simple once-only 5 year term for all elected politicians that cannot be renewed. It's not a career, it is a public service to the people. It begins, you do your best, and then it ends. The last thing that any country needs, or can afford, are career politicians."

Policy Seven: No Church or Religious Entity should be allowed to operate tax-free in a secular society. This is grossly unfair to tax payers. This is a form of rank and destructive discrimination and manipulation.

Policy Eight: The Australian Government is responsible for the safety, security, well being, education, health and retirement of every Australian and this responsibility cannot be dissolved or handed over to anyone or any other entity, including charities. We are too advanced, and too inclusive, as a human group, to ever need third world charity in our cities, towns and remote places.

Policy Nine: Large corporations should be taxed effectively and profitably by the people of Australia, for the people of Australia.

Policy Ten: Indigenous Australians have no special rights except collective and fair land ownership, and mining rights, as decided by the High Court of Australia. There begins and ends the responsibility for all Australians in this matter.

N.Korea criticizes anthrax experiment by USFK

U.S.-ROK reveals investigation result on anthrax delivery: 15 times of anthrax entry since 2009

Ha-young Choi

December 20th, 2015

Pyongyang’s state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Monday criticized use of anthrax in South Korea, which was revealed by a joint ROK-U.S. joint working group’s (JWG) investigation last Thursday.

Repeating its allegations of biological warfare during the Korean War, the newspaper blamed the U.S. for the “criminal activity.”

It also criticized Seoul’s position.

“Conducting biological weapons experiments randomly, with anthrax and plague targeting its own people, is it fine for cooperation with the U.S., and putting its residents in danger?” it said.

United States Forces Korea (USFK) delivered 15 anthrax test samples to South Korea between 2009 and 2014, according to the joint report.

It was previously only known that active anthrax was delivered to Osan Air Base in May this year, with two experiments performed on the sample on May 21 and 26.

“The ROK government agencies during an on-site visit yielded negative results for Bacillus anthracis spores at the Osan facility,” the JWG press release reads.

The JWG said that USFK also imported inactive samples of other infectious diseases for training, though it added that the deliveries were “routine national defense activities,” also conducted in other countries with U.S. military bases.

The program, entitled JUPITR, is composed of “biological equipment testing” and “proficiency training.”

“The testing includes usage of facilities and equipment, and training is for operators, how to deal with facilities in order to detect and identify the virus,” an MND official told NK News.

Current regulations do not require the USFK to notify the South Korean government about the delivery of inactive samples, and the MND said in its report to the National Assembly on Thursday that they were not aware of the shipments.

Recommendations from the JWG include the addition of a notification process with specific information on shipping, the recipients and details on the sample’s type, purpose and quantity.

However, Shim Jae-kwon, a lawmaker from the New Politics Alliance for Democracy party, pointed out the recommendation’s lack of enforcement, compared to that of other countries like Germany.

“German law mandates an independent investigation by German custom authorities at a designated place agreed upon by the two parties,” the statement from Shim’s office reads.

The statement also called for informing the South Korean government of the specific contents of the program, which deal with 15 kinds of hazardous materials.

According to the MND’s press release, no further samples will be delivered to South Korea until the relevant procedures have been improved.

Seoul’s Defense Ministry said North Korea was capable of carrying out biological attacks, as it likely possesses 13 types of biological agents including anthrax and other infectious diseases.

The Rodong Sinmun, however, denied this, calling it a falsehood motivated by a plan to attack North Korea in an emergency.

Featured Image: Anthrax infection by kat m research on 2009-03-08 11:31:44