Norks offer Russians bribe for help in 6 party talks

AP:

North Korea has offered Russia exclusive rights to its natural uranium deposits in exchange for support at the stalled talks on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, a newspaper reported Sunday.

The two countries have been in talks since 2002 on a deal for Russia to import uranium, which it wants to enrich and sell as nuclear fuel to China and Vietnam, according to a report in the regional daily, Tokyo Shimbun, citing unnamed Russian officials.

North Korea recently offered Russia exclusive rights to the uranium in exchange for open support at the six-party talks on the North's nuclear program, which have stalled since last year, the report stated.

Russia, which already exports natural gas and oil, hopes to become a major exporter of nuclear fuel, according to the report. Negotiations between Russia and North Korea were set to continue, the report added.

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Putin's Russia may be corrupt enough to take the bribe. It has certainly been amoral in its dealings with Iran on nuclear issues. It is too bad there is not an international equivalent of the RICO laws to deal with corrupt organizations like the governments of North Korea and Russia.