Sharp tells N. Korea to act responsibly

[unhappycamper]

Sharp tells N. Korea to act responsibly
By Teri Weaver, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Wednesday, February 11, 2009

SEOUL — The top U.S. military commander in South Korea called for North Korea to quiet talk about testing nuclear missiles and instead agree to an open dismantling of its nuclear weaponry.

"We call on North Korea to stop provocations and act like a responsible country," Gen. Walter Sharp, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said at a luncheon with reporters in Seoul.

Sharp’s statements were part of a continued response from the United States in recent days after North Korea scrapped military agreements with South Korea and threatened to test another nuclear missile, as it did in 2006.

Next week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Japan, China and South Korea, in part to address the rhetoric.

On Monday, Sharp — who under current agreements would command both U.S. and South Korean troops during a crisis — said that both President Barack Obama and South Korea’s President Lee Myung-pak have military and diplomatic options in place to respond to North Korea. And, he added, despite the recent talk, North Korea’s military seems to be following its usual winter training routines.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60606