Weather plagued balloon attempt may move to N Hemisphere launch
by Martin Parry ALICE
SPRINGS, Australia
Jan 11 (AFP)
A weather-plagued round-the-world balloon flight may aim for a Northern Hempisphere
launch in June after another postponment cast doubt on its ability to take-off from the
central
Australian desert.
Barely two hours before Monday�s scheduled lift-off, brewing thunderstorms forced the
latest
delay to the Team ReMax attempt to circumnavigate the world and break altiutde records.
With storms expected over Alice Springs late Monday the Australian launch could be aborted
altogether, although mission director Dan Pedersen said Tuesday remained a possibility.
�We will continue to man up. The winds predicted are favourable and if the thunderstroms
go
away, we�ll be ready,� he said.
Changing wind speeds in the stratosphere, where the balloon aims to travel westward
through the Southern Hemisphere, mean the last chance to launch from here is January 17.
Australian John Wallington, one of the two pilots in the joint Australian/US bid,
dismissed
suggestions after the 16th delay that organisers had miscalculated the timing of the
mission.
�It is the most difficult time of the year to launch a balloon, but the only time when
the winds
are going round the world in the stratosphere,� he told AFP at the launch site � a
disused
airport. �We could come out here and launch a balloon more easily in June or July but we
wouldn�t go anywhere.�
Wallington said if the attempt had to be abandoned here, they would instead aim for a June
launch in the Northern Hemisphere.
�That would be the next opportunity but the problem is China and Russia have closed their
airspace to balloons. We would probably get permission to get through Russia, but China
won�t be so easy.�
Beijing says it will decline permission for balloons in its airspace after British
businessman
Richard Branson strayed into a no-fly zone over Tibet during his recent failed attempt to
break the elusive aviation milestone.
American real estate tycoon and fellow ReMax pilot Dave Liniger, who has financed the 4.5
million US dollar bid, said he was depressed and disappointed after the latest failure.
�I feel like the bride that got left at the alter � all dressed up and no place to
go,� he said
after getting into his space suit, ready for launch.
�We really thought we had a chance at getting off, we psyched ourselves up. I�m sick
and
tired of training. We knew the low was coming through and thought we could beat it but we
didn�t quite make it.�
He confirmed the launch window would close on January 17 and also suggested a move to
the Northern Hempishere.
�We�ll have to look at next year, same place or maybe try the Nortehrn Hemisphere at
the
end of June.�
Both men, visibly upset, said it would be hard to stomach someone else beating them to the
elusive aviation milestone.
�You get yourself psyched up and go through the mixed range of emotions then you slide
back down again,� said Wallington.
�Having put this much work into it, it would be depressing to find ourselves beaten
around
the world by one of the lower level attempts.�
He made it clear money was not a concern.
�I�m flying with the man who has injected all the money into this and he has a passion
to do
it, so I don�t think we have any sponsorship relation problems whatsoever.�
If they get underway, the balloonists are aiming to make the 18-day ride at 130,000 feet,
via
Southern Africa and South America, before returning to Australia.
North Korea demands cash from US ahead of Geneva talks
by Lim Yun-Suk
SEOUL, Jan 11 (AFP)
Cash-strapped North Korea Monday renewed its demand ahead of fresh bilateral talks that
the United States pay compensation if it wants to inspect a suspected underground nuclear
site.
Five days before the talks scheduled to be held in Geneva, North Korea said the United
States should pay compensation because once the underground site is opened up it could
not be used for its �original purpose.�
If the United States �pays 300 million dollars as a compensation for insulting the DPRK
(North Korea), we, taking into account the DPRK-US relations may allow a visit to the site
in
Kumchangri, only once as an exception,� a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said.
�Our demand for compensation is very just because, once we open an object which is very
sensitive in view of our national security to the United States which is technically at
war with
the DPRK, we cannot use it for its original purpose,� he told the Korean Central News
Agency (KNCA).
North Korea has said the underground facility in Kumchangri, suspected by Washington of
being used to revive its nuclear program, was for civilian purposes. The KCNA on Monday
did not specify what the �original purpose� was.
Officials from North Korea and the United States are to meet in Geneva for two days from
Saturday to discuss US demands to inspect the site.
�We are seeking that North Korea fully satisfies our concern about the site, including by
providing access to it,� US State Department spokesman James Rubin said last week.
North Korea has been demanding 300 million dollars from the United States for spreading
rumours �on the basis of groundless information,� calling it a �grave insult.�
Progress was reported in the last round of talks between Pyongyang and Washington last
month, and officials here said North Korea had dropped its demand for the 300 million
dollars.
In return, the famine-stricken nation is demanding the United States lift economic
sanctions
imposed on Pyongyang.
North Korea on Monday said if the United States cannot make compensation �for some
reason, it may grant the DPRK (North Korea) economic benefits tantamount to the amount
even in any appropriate form.�
The United States maintains decades-old sanctions on the isolated communist state amid
fears over its nuclear, missile and military intentions and capabilities.
A government official said there was nothing unusual about North Korea�s demand as the
unpredictable state usually makes such statements ahead of any significant meetings.
�It is just North Korea�s way of putting pressure on ahead of any major meetings,� a
government official involed in North Korean affairs said.
�It is interesting that North Korea this time is saying compensation does not only have
to be
in the form of the 300 million dollars but other economic benefits,� he said.
After the bilateral meeting, North Korea and the United States will also attend peace
talks
with South Korea and China starting January 18 to help ease tension on the Korean
peninsula by implementing a permanent peace treaty.
South and North Korea are still technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with
the signing of an armistice. The four-party peace talks aim to replace the armistice with
a
peace treaty.
Officials from South Korea and the United States will meet in Washington later Monday to
coordinate their policies ahead of the four-party peace talks in Geneva.