Lame duck peace

Oh boy, less than a year left in the Bush presidency and it seems like the US will do anything for a peace deal, including this concession

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States rejects formally linking the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea to diplomatic rewards for Pyongyang’s pledged denuclearization, the U.S. nuclear envoy said on Wednesday.

But Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill told a U.S. Senate panel that ally Japan would not be left “in the lurch” or dealt any unpleasant surprises as Washington moves forward with a nuclear disarmament pact with Pyongyang.

The fate of at least 12 Japanese kidnapped by North Koreans decades ago is a highly emotive issue in Japan and a stumbling block that has kept Tokyo and Pyongyang from normalizing ties.

Well, I guess that’s their right to drop an issue that’s irrelevant to US interests. Oh wait, these are six party talks? Japan is one of these party members? Just another step of dropping any mentions of human rights, all for the sake of peace.