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The United States has initiated a concerted effort to convince the military-led government of Myanmar to halt purchases of military technology from North Korea, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, Jan. 29).
Washington anxiety over Pyongyang's possible sales to Myanmar of conventional weaponry, missile parts and technology that could pertain to nuclear weapons led the White House in October to begin engaging with the country's junta -- a marked change from a Bush administration policy that sought to isolate the regime, according to a high-level U.S. State Department official.
Ranking U.S. officials have met four times with senior Myanmar officials and another session is anticipated soon, the Post reported.
"Our most decisive interactions have been around North Korea," the official said. "We've been very clear to Burma. We'll see over time if it's been heard."
Despite continued concerns regarding human rights in Myanmar, U.S. officials and experts contend that a dialogue with the government there is the best policy.
U.S. Senator Jim Webb (D-Va.), who traveled to Myanmar last August, said if Washington does not engage then China would step in to supplant U.S. prominence in the Southeast Asian state.
The Obama administration also does not want to see another situation like that in Syria, where North Korea is believed to have assisted Damascus with covertly constructing a suspected nuclear reactor that might have had the ability to produce plutonium. A 2007 Israeli airstrike eliminated the facility before it could become operational (see related GSN story, today).
"The lesson here is the Syrian one," Institute for Science and International Security President David Albright said. "That was such a massive intelligence failure. You can't be sure that North Korea isn't doing it someplace else. The U.S. government can't afford to be blindsided again."
An ISIS report issued in January stated that "there remain legitimate reasons to suspect the existence of undeclared nuclear activities in Burma, particularly in the context of North Korean cooperation" (John Pomfret, Washington Post, March 4).