No change in north korea's devious tactics

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is on the charm offensive again. He visited China and Russia last month to further strengthen ties with his two most important allies. Kim has visited China several times in the past few years to learn from the economic growth and management of North Korea's huge neighbour. This time he was able to hold a summit meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. It was a highly publicised visit because it means bread and butter for North Korea. Obviously, Kim knows better than anybody the true state of his country.

During the discussion with Medvedev, the two leaders agreed that the stalled six party talks on North Korea's denuclearisation should resume without any conditions, in order to reduce the simmering tension on the Korean peninsula. For the past few weeks, Pyongyang has also expressed a seeming readiness to place a moratorium on its programme for weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons. So far, the responses from other concerned parties have not been too enthusiastic. After all, North Korea has pulled this kind of stunt before. More tangible action from the hermit kingdom must be forthcoming before the peace process can continue with the full enthusiasm of all sides.

It is well known that the international community has called on North Korea to rejoin the International Atomic Energy Agency and allow international inspections of the existing nuclear facilities in the country. At the moment, Pyongyang has not yet made public any firm intention to initiate a moratorium on long-range missiles and nuclear weapons. It seems that Kim's latest diplomatic efforts are a trial balloon to gauge whether such overtures would yield international attention - and, of course, more humanitarian assistance for the country's beleaguered population.

One aspect of North Korea's nuclear weapons programme has great potential to destabilise the whole region. This is the relationship between Pyongyang and Burma over nuclear cooperation. It is now widely suspected that the two countries have been collaborating on this clandestine programme for about a decade. Their secretive cooperation on nuclear weapons has been widely reported in the Western press. Indeed, it has become a strong point of contention between the United States and North Korea, and is a huge obstacle in their efforts to normalise relations.

It is an open secret that Washington is very concerned about the truth of this ongoing cooperation, and has urged Burma to halt ties with North Korea on any nuclear programmes. It has been the policy of the Obama administration to aim for a global nuclear weapons free zone. That helps explain why, besides all the pivotal political issues related to human rights and political prisoners, the US government continues to focus on its non-proliferation effort in the region.

It is interesting to note that Asean has yet to take Burma to task over its ties with North Korea and the suspected nuclear cooperation. The aftermath of Japan's nuclear crisis has prompted Asean members to discuss their future cooperation on the peaceful use of nuclear power and the many safety issues that surround it. Burma has yet to show any cooperative spirit. Thailand has called on all Asean member countries to share information on their peaceful use of nuclear energy, as a way to increase confidence and forge common ideas for a non-military nuclear policy.

North Korea - even with its outmoded political system - still has a very good chance to rejoin the international community and save its people from endemic poverty and possible starvation. Nobody wants to see North Korea collapse, because it would seriously affect China, South Korea and Japan, as well as the wider region. Of course, nobody expects an "Arab Spring" to occur there, but the ongoing hardships of most North Korean citizens will eventually bring the regime down, in one way or another. To avoid this catastrophe, Kim has to reform the whole system in his country, which he and his family have ruled continuously since the end of the Second World War. The way to start the process is quite simple: Kim has to stop employing his old manipulative tricks and start talking about the real issues.