Neighbors Play Down North Korean Moves
(Gordon Fairclough, Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1115594...whats_news_asia
May 9, 2005
As worries mount in Washington that North Korea could be moving toward its first nuclear-weapons test, Pyongyang's neighbors remain skeptical, saying the country may just be trying to strengthen its hand for future negotiations.
China and South Korea, Pyongyang's two most important economic benefactors, also remain reluctant to consider sanctions against the North, U.S. and Asian officials say, and it isn't clear whether even an atomic test would persuade them to change their policies sharply.
Full Version: North Korea
Common Ground Common Sense > Issues that Affect Our Lives > Foreign Policy and National Defense > Foreign Policy & National Defense Issues Archive
Washington, looking to Beijing for leverage over Pyongyang, finds little, if any, action.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0511/dailyUpdate.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0511/dailyUpdate.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/12/internat...059&partner=AOL
North Koreans Claim to Extract Fuel for Nuclear Weapons
James Brooke
North Koreans Claim to Extract Fuel for Nuclear Weapons
James Brooke
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/12/politics...html?oref=login
What are Koreans Up To? US Agencies Can't Agree
David Sanger
What are Koreans Up To? US Agencies Can't Agree
David Sanger
--------------------
North Korea Reports a Key Nuclear Move
--------------------
By Barbara Demick
Times Staff Writer
May 12 2005
SEOUL — North Korea announced Wednesday that it had removed fuel rods from its main nuclear reactor, a key step toward preparing to harvest plutonium for bombs.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...-home-headlines
North Korea Reports a Key Nuclear Move
--------------------
By Barbara Demick
Times Staff Writer
May 12 2005
SEOUL — North Korea announced Wednesday that it had removed fuel rods from its main nuclear reactor, a key step toward preparing to harvest plutonium for bombs.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...-home-headlines
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/13/internat...html?oref=login
south Korea Urges the North to Rejoin Talks on Weapons
south Korea Urges the North to Rejoin Talks on Weapons
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/13/internat...059&partner=AOL
China Says US Impeded North Korea Arms Talks
China Says US Impeded North Korea Arms Talks
Other Options Explored Concerning N. Korea's Nuclear Program
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D7109C:2F72C9D
Strong signals from US, Japan, South Korea indicate patience with
Pyongyang is running short
Christopher Hill, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and
Pacific Affairs, right, and Song Min-soon, South Korea's deputy
foreign minister, a chief South Korean negotiator to the nuclear
disputeThe United States, Japan and South Korea are ratcheting up the
pressure on North Korea to return to talks over its nuclear weapons
development. There are strong signals coming from the three countries'
capitals that patience with Pyongyang is running short.
Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura on Friday made his most
blunt statement yet expressing Tokyo's frustration with Pyongyang.
Speaking to a parliamentary session, Mr. Machimura said Japan can no
longer continue to sit motionless while Pyongyang refuses to cooperate
in six-nation negotiations about its nuclear program.
Mr. Machimura is raising the possibility of referring North Korea's
nuclear weapons to the United Nations Security Council for discussion
of possible sanctions, a move Pyongyang has warned against.
Afterwards, Mr. Machimura told reporters that although Japan and other
countries should still make efforts get the talks back on track,
alternate options need to be kept in mind.
The Japanese foreign minister says his country is considering
five-party talks if North Korea continues to boycott the negotiations.
Mr. Machimura first raised the idea of talks without North Korea in a
meeting a week ago with the South Korean foreign minister, Ban
Ki-moon.
Three rounds of talks hosted by China have been held, which also
included both Koreas, the United States, Japan and Russia.
The last round took place eleven months ago. Pyongyang then boycotted
a round scheduled for last September, saying U.S. hostility towards
North Korea was not conducive to continuing discussions.
North Korea has previously said it would consider a move to involve
the United Nations in the controversy "an act of war." China also
opposes having the world body take up the issue.
Earlier this week, North Korea announced it had unloaded eight
thousand spent fuel rods from its reactor at Yongbyon. That is seen as
a step towards extracting plutonium from the rods to build nuclear
weapons.
North Korea says it has developed nuclear weapons to defend itself,
although no other government has been able to say if this is true or
just a bluff.
Mr. Machimura's comments came as a number of sources, including the
U.S. ambassador to Japan, Thomas Schieffer, warned that North Korea
may be making preparations to conduct its first nuclear test.
The chief nuclear negotiators for the United States and South Korea,
Ambassador Christopher Hill and Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon,
flew together from Washington to Seoul on Friday for continued talks
on the issue. The United States has said it seeks a diplomatic
resolution of the dispute.
Before departing for home, Mr. Song called on countries involved in
the talks to take "strengthened diplomatic steps." He did not
elaborate.
South Korean Finance Minister Han Duck-soo warned Friday that a North
Korean nuclear test would have a serious impact on the South's
economy, and weaken its ability to help its northern neighbor. South
Korea is a major aid donor to the North, and favors engagement over
confrontation.
But South Korea's defense minister, Yoon Kwang-ung, on Friday said the
North should not possess nuclear weapons under any circumstances.
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D7109C:2F72C9D
Strong signals from US, Japan, South Korea indicate patience with
Pyongyang is running short
Christopher Hill, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and
Pacific Affairs, right, and Song Min-soon, South Korea's deputy
foreign minister, a chief South Korean negotiator to the nuclear
disputeThe United States, Japan and South Korea are ratcheting up the
pressure on North Korea to return to talks over its nuclear weapons
development. There are strong signals coming from the three countries'
capitals that patience with Pyongyang is running short.
Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura on Friday made his most
blunt statement yet expressing Tokyo's frustration with Pyongyang.
Speaking to a parliamentary session, Mr. Machimura said Japan can no
longer continue to sit motionless while Pyongyang refuses to cooperate
in six-nation negotiations about its nuclear program.
Mr. Machimura is raising the possibility of referring North Korea's
nuclear weapons to the United Nations Security Council for discussion
of possible sanctions, a move Pyongyang has warned against.
Afterwards, Mr. Machimura told reporters that although Japan and other
countries should still make efforts get the talks back on track,
alternate options need to be kept in mind.
The Japanese foreign minister says his country is considering
five-party talks if North Korea continues to boycott the negotiations.
Mr. Machimura first raised the idea of talks without North Korea in a
meeting a week ago with the South Korean foreign minister, Ban
Ki-moon.
Three rounds of talks hosted by China have been held, which also
included both Koreas, the United States, Japan and Russia.
The last round took place eleven months ago. Pyongyang then boycotted
a round scheduled for last September, saying U.S. hostility towards
North Korea was not conducive to continuing discussions.
North Korea has previously said it would consider a move to involve
the United Nations in the controversy "an act of war." China also
opposes having the world body take up the issue.
Earlier this week, North Korea announced it had unloaded eight
thousand spent fuel rods from its reactor at Yongbyon. That is seen as
a step towards extracting plutonium from the rods to build nuclear
weapons.
North Korea says it has developed nuclear weapons to defend itself,
although no other government has been able to say if this is true or
just a bluff.
Mr. Machimura's comments came as a number of sources, including the
U.S. ambassador to Japan, Thomas Schieffer, warned that North Korea
may be making preparations to conduct its first nuclear test.
The chief nuclear negotiators for the United States and South Korea,
Ambassador Christopher Hill and Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon,
flew together from Washington to Seoul on Friday for continued talks
on the issue. The United States has said it seeks a diplomatic
resolution of the dispute.
Before departing for home, Mr. Song called on countries involved in
the talks to take "strengthened diplomatic steps." He did not
elaborate.
South Korean Finance Minister Han Duck-soo warned Friday that a North
Korean nuclear test would have a serious impact on the South's
economy, and weaken its ability to help its northern neighbor. South
Korea is a major aid donor to the North, and favors engagement over
confrontation.
But South Korea's defense minister, Yoon Kwang-ung, on Friday said the
North should not possess nuclear weapons under any circumstances.
More claims and counter-claims about nuclear weapons development in both nations.
By Jim Bencivenga | csmonitor.co
http://www.csmonitor.com:/2005/0513/dailyUpdate.html
By Jim Bencivenga | csmonitor.co
http://www.csmonitor.com:/2005/0513/dailyUpdate.html
Two Koreas to Meet at North's Request
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D764FD:2F72C9D
N. Korean official news agency says Pyongyang wired South Korean
Unification Ministry to request meeting, in order to "put the
inter-Korean relations on a normal track"
Senior officials from North and South Korea will meet next week for
the first time in almost a year to discuss various issues, including
the North's nuclear weapons program. Diplomats meanwhile, continue to
hope they can persuade the North to give up any nuclear weapons it
might already possess.
After weeks of bellicose statements by North Korea, the first hint of
a meeting came Saturday morning, from the North Korean official news
agency. The agency said Pyongyang had wired the South Korean
Unification Ministry to request a meeting, in order to "put the
inter-Korean relations on a normal track."
South Korea, which has been hoping since last year to reactivate
inter-Korean talks, responded quickly. Vice Unification Minister Rhee
Bong-jo told reporters the meetings would be held next Monday and
Tuesday, in the North Korean city of Kaesong.
Mr. Rhee said a range of issues would be discussed, including Seoul's
position on "the North Korean nuclear issue", a matter also on the
minds of officials in Washington, Tokyo, Beijing and Moscow.
Lee Sang-hyun, director of the security studies program at Seoul's
Sejong Institute, says the nuclear issue will certainly come up. But
he warns that the request for talks does not necessarily signal a
willingness by Pyongyang to discuss its nuclear program seriously.
North Korea last year asked Seoul for 500,000 tons of fertilizer, a
request the South Koreans put on hold. Mr. Lee says Pyongyang might
now need that fertilizer on an urgent basis.
"This time of year - perhaps this time - they need fertilizer. Given
that, economic necessity, or urgency, may be one factor for North
Korea to propose this meeting," he said.
Christopher HillHowever, the request came as Washington's ambassador
to stalled six-party talks on the nuclear crisis, Assistant Secretary
of State Christopher Hill, arrived in Seoul to confer on ways to bring
Pyongyang back to the negotiating table.
Mr. Hill told reporters that logic dictated the North Koreans would
rejoin the negotiations.
"There's a very powerful logic to their coming to the table and
agreeing on proposals which truly address their needs. I cannot see
how nuclear weapons in any way addresses any real need of theirs," he
said.
Pyongyang claims it already possesses nuclear weapons. The United
States, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia are asking the North to
give up those weapons in return for economic and political aid.
One complicating factor: nobody knows for sure if the North really has
the weapons, or is only bluffing. Washington claims to have detected
signs Pyongyang is preparing to conduct a nuclear test, something it
has apparently never done before, but even that is open to debate.
Mr. Lee of the Sejong Institute questions whether a test is in the
works, but he says it would be dangerous to discount Pyongyang's claim
that it has the bomb.
"I believe, even though we don't have any concrete evidence, it is
highly likely that they have actually built a bomb. I believe that
should be the approach to North Korea in the future," he said.
Three rounds of six-party talks have been held in Beijing, but the
last round took place almost a year ago, and North Korea has refused
to participate ever since.
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D764FD:2F72C9D
N. Korean official news agency says Pyongyang wired South Korean
Unification Ministry to request meeting, in order to "put the
inter-Korean relations on a normal track"
Senior officials from North and South Korea will meet next week for
the first time in almost a year to discuss various issues, including
the North's nuclear weapons program. Diplomats meanwhile, continue to
hope they can persuade the North to give up any nuclear weapons it
might already possess.
After weeks of bellicose statements by North Korea, the first hint of
a meeting came Saturday morning, from the North Korean official news
agency. The agency said Pyongyang had wired the South Korean
Unification Ministry to request a meeting, in order to "put the
inter-Korean relations on a normal track."
South Korea, which has been hoping since last year to reactivate
inter-Korean talks, responded quickly. Vice Unification Minister Rhee
Bong-jo told reporters the meetings would be held next Monday and
Tuesday, in the North Korean city of Kaesong.
Mr. Rhee said a range of issues would be discussed, including Seoul's
position on "the North Korean nuclear issue", a matter also on the
minds of officials in Washington, Tokyo, Beijing and Moscow.
Lee Sang-hyun, director of the security studies program at Seoul's
Sejong Institute, says the nuclear issue will certainly come up. But
he warns that the request for talks does not necessarily signal a
willingness by Pyongyang to discuss its nuclear program seriously.
North Korea last year asked Seoul for 500,000 tons of fertilizer, a
request the South Koreans put on hold. Mr. Lee says Pyongyang might
now need that fertilizer on an urgent basis.
"This time of year - perhaps this time - they need fertilizer. Given
that, economic necessity, or urgency, may be one factor for North
Korea to propose this meeting," he said.
Christopher HillHowever, the request came as Washington's ambassador
to stalled six-party talks on the nuclear crisis, Assistant Secretary
of State Christopher Hill, arrived in Seoul to confer on ways to bring
Pyongyang back to the negotiating table.
Mr. Hill told reporters that logic dictated the North Koreans would
rejoin the negotiations.
"There's a very powerful logic to their coming to the table and
agreeing on proposals which truly address their needs. I cannot see
how nuclear weapons in any way addresses any real need of theirs," he
said.
Pyongyang claims it already possesses nuclear weapons. The United
States, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia are asking the North to
give up those weapons in return for economic and political aid.
One complicating factor: nobody knows for sure if the North really has
the weapons, or is only bluffing. Washington claims to have detected
signs Pyongyang is preparing to conduct a nuclear test, something it
has apparently never done before, but even that is open to debate.
Mr. Lee of the Sejong Institute questions whether a test is in the
works, but he says it would be dangerous to discount Pyongyang's claim
that it has the bomb.
"I believe, even though we don't have any concrete evidence, it is
highly likely that they have actually built a bomb. I believe that
should be the approach to North Korea in the future," he said.
Three rounds of six-party talks have been held in Beijing, but the
last round took place almost a year ago, and North Korea has refused
to participate ever since.
--------------------
Koreas Resume Talks After 10-Month Hiatus
--------------------
By SOO-JEONG LEE
Associated Press Writer
May 16 2005, 5:19 AM PDT
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea told North Korea it has spiked regional tensions by taking a key step in preparing ingredients for nuclear bombs and tried to coax the North back into disarmament negotiations, as the two sides met Monday for their first talks in 10 months.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...opinternational
Koreas Resume Talks After 10-Month Hiatus
--------------------
By SOO-JEONG LEE
Associated Press Writer
May 16 2005, 5:19 AM PDT
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea told North Korea it has spiked regional tensions by taking a key step in preparing ingredients for nuclear bombs and tried to coax the North back into disarmament negotiations, as the two sides met Monday for their first talks in 10 months.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...opinternational
North, South Korea Meet for First Time in Nearly a Year
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D7D11C:2F72C9D
South Korea says it is ready to make an 'important' offer if the North
returns to negotiations aimed at ending its nuclear weapons programs
North and South Korea have resumed high-level talks Monday for the
first time in 10 months. Seoul used the meeting to urge Pyongyang to
return to negotiations over its nuclear program. The talks come as
tensions are rising over a possible nuclear test by North Korea.
South Korea says it is ready to make an "important" offer to the North
if it returns to negotiations aimed at ending its nuclear weapons
programs. After Monday's session, South Korean officials say their
Northern counterparts listened to Seoul's position but did not make
any comments on the nuclear issue.
South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said he hopes the
two-day meeting would help settle the problem peacefully.
The meeting comes at a time when tensions are high regarding North
Korea's nuclear weapons programs. Last week, Pyongyang claimed it had
completed removing spent fuel rods from a reactor at its main nuclear
complex - a process that could allow it to harvest more weapons-grade
plutonium - and said it would strengthen its nuclear arsenal.
U.S. officials said last week there are indications Pyongyang may be
preparing for a nuclear test. On Sunday, U.S. National Security
Adviser Stephen Hadley warned Pyongyang against that, and said
Washington would take unspecified action should a test occur.
Washington has not ruled out bringing the issue to the United Nations
Security Council for possible sanctions.
On Monday, Washington's top envoy to North Korea nuclear talks,
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, met with South Korean
Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon to continue pushing for a resumption.
"We do not have an option of not succeeding," said Mr. Hill. "We must
succeed."
Diplomatic initiatives by the United States, China, South Korea, Japan
and Russia to disarm North Korea have resulted in little progress
after nearly two years. These six-party talks have been stalled since
last year.
During the talks Monday in the North Korean border town of Kaesong,
South Korea agreed to provide fertilizer to its impoverished Stalinist
rival. Contacts between the two sides broke off in July after mass
defections of North Koreans to the South, which Pyongyang says were
kidnappings.
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D7D11C:2F72C9D
South Korea says it is ready to make an 'important' offer if the North
returns to negotiations aimed at ending its nuclear weapons programs
North and South Korea have resumed high-level talks Monday for the
first time in 10 months. Seoul used the meeting to urge Pyongyang to
return to negotiations over its nuclear program. The talks come as
tensions are rising over a possible nuclear test by North Korea.
South Korea says it is ready to make an "important" offer to the North
if it returns to negotiations aimed at ending its nuclear weapons
programs. After Monday's session, South Korean officials say their
Northern counterparts listened to Seoul's position but did not make
any comments on the nuclear issue.
South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said he hopes the
two-day meeting would help settle the problem peacefully.
The meeting comes at a time when tensions are high regarding North
Korea's nuclear weapons programs. Last week, Pyongyang claimed it had
completed removing spent fuel rods from a reactor at its main nuclear
complex - a process that could allow it to harvest more weapons-grade
plutonium - and said it would strengthen its nuclear arsenal.
U.S. officials said last week there are indications Pyongyang may be
preparing for a nuclear test. On Sunday, U.S. National Security
Adviser Stephen Hadley warned Pyongyang against that, and said
Washington would take unspecified action should a test occur.
Washington has not ruled out bringing the issue to the United Nations
Security Council for possible sanctions.
On Monday, Washington's top envoy to North Korea nuclear talks,
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, met with South Korean
Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon to continue pushing for a resumption.
"We do not have an option of not succeeding," said Mr. Hill. "We must
succeed."
Diplomatic initiatives by the United States, China, South Korea, Japan
and Russia to disarm North Korea have resulted in little progress
after nearly two years. These six-party talks have been stalled since
last year.
During the talks Monday in the North Korean border town of Kaesong,
South Korea agreed to provide fertilizer to its impoverished Stalinist
rival. Contacts between the two sides broke off in July after mass
defections of North Koreans to the South, which Pyongyang says were
kidnappings.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/05/16/news/nukes.php
US warns of penaties for Korean nuclear test
David Sanger
US warns of penaties for Korean nuclear test
David Sanger
http://www.guardian.co.uk/korea/article/0,....html?gusrc=rss
Seoul hints at new disarmament proposal for North Korea
Seoul hints at new disarmament proposal for North Korea
Not Just A Last Resort?: A Global Strike Plan, With a Nuclear Option:
Early last summer, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld approved a top secret "Interim Global Strike Alert Order" directing the military to assume and maintain readiness to attack hostile countries that are developing weapons of mass destruction, specifically Iran and North Korea.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8857.htm
http://snipurl.com/exrp
Early last summer, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld approved a top secret "Interim Global Strike Alert Order" directing the military to assume and maintain readiness to attack hostile countries that are developing weapons of mass destruction, specifically Iran and North Korea.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8857.htm
http://snipurl.com/exrp
No Sign Of Progress on Inter-Korean Talks
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D82871:2F72C9D
Monday, Seoul said it was prepared to offer North Korea what it
described as major new proposal if Pyongyang returned to negotiations
S. Korean Vice Unification Minister Rhee Bong-jo, right, his N. Korean
counterpart Kim Man Gil, left, before their second day meeting at
KaesongSouth Korean officials are not reporting progress in the second
and final day of their talks with North Korea on issues including the
North's nuclear-weapons program. Meanwhile, China denies a Japanese
newspaper report that North Korea asked Beijing to arrange a visit by
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Pyongyang.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan dismissed the Japanese
newspaper report as groundless. But he said Beijing welcomes more
communication between North Korea and the United States so that
dialogue can once again get under way.
"We hope these two countries can continue contacts [and] through those
contacts promote mutual trust," he said. "Therefore, it does not
matter what time or place they have contact, we both welcome and
encourage it."
North Korea has boycotted six-way nuclear talks since last year. Three
rounds hosted by China were inconclusive.
South Korean officials reported no progress during two days of
discussions with North Korean delegates in the border town of Kaesong.
The South sought to convince Pyongyang to go back to talks.
On Monday, Seoul said it was prepared to offer North Korea what it
described as a major new proposal if Pyongyang returned to
negotiations. Officials gave no details of the proposal, but South
Korean media speculated it might contain substantial economic
incentives.
North Korea has demanded that the United States drop what Pyongyang
says is a hostile attitude. The North has previously demanded energy
and security guarantees before it will return to negotiations.
Concerns mounted recently when reports out of Washington said the
North might be preparing to test a nuclear weapon soon. Last week,
Pyongyang announced it had harvested spent fuel rods from a nuclear
reactor that could help it build bombs.
Washington wants the North to return to talks unconditionally, but has
offered to accept a plan in which other nations would provide energy
aid and security assurances if Pyongyang commits to dismantling its
nuclear program and then follows through with it.
Pyongyang has never responded to that offer, made at the conclusion of
the last round of talks nearly a year ago. North Korean officials have
in the past called for bilateral meetings with the United States.
Washington insists on six-way negotiations, saying the North's nuclear
weapons programs are a multilateral threat that requires a
multilateral solution.
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D82871:2F72C9D
Monday, Seoul said it was prepared to offer North Korea what it
described as major new proposal if Pyongyang returned to negotiations
S. Korean Vice Unification Minister Rhee Bong-jo, right, his N. Korean
counterpart Kim Man Gil, left, before their second day meeting at
KaesongSouth Korean officials are not reporting progress in the second
and final day of their talks with North Korea on issues including the
North's nuclear-weapons program. Meanwhile, China denies a Japanese
newspaper report that North Korea asked Beijing to arrange a visit by
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Pyongyang.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan dismissed the Japanese
newspaper report as groundless. But he said Beijing welcomes more
communication between North Korea and the United States so that
dialogue can once again get under way.
"We hope these two countries can continue contacts [and] through those
contacts promote mutual trust," he said. "Therefore, it does not
matter what time or place they have contact, we both welcome and
encourage it."
North Korea has boycotted six-way nuclear talks since last year. Three
rounds hosted by China were inconclusive.
South Korean officials reported no progress during two days of
discussions with North Korean delegates in the border town of Kaesong.
The South sought to convince Pyongyang to go back to talks.
On Monday, Seoul said it was prepared to offer North Korea what it
described as a major new proposal if Pyongyang returned to
negotiations. Officials gave no details of the proposal, but South
Korean media speculated it might contain substantial economic
incentives.
North Korea has demanded that the United States drop what Pyongyang
says is a hostile attitude. The North has previously demanded energy
and security guarantees before it will return to negotiations.
Concerns mounted recently when reports out of Washington said the
North might be preparing to test a nuclear weapon soon. Last week,
Pyongyang announced it had harvested spent fuel rods from a nuclear
reactor that could help it build bombs.
Washington wants the North to return to talks unconditionally, but has
offered to accept a plan in which other nations would provide energy
aid and security assurances if Pyongyang commits to dismantling its
nuclear program and then follows through with it.
Pyongyang has never responded to that offer, made at the conclusion of
the last round of talks nearly a year ago. North Korean officials have
in the past called for bilateral meetings with the United States.
Washington insists on six-way negotiations, saying the North's nuclear
weapons programs are a multilateral threat that requires a
multilateral solution.
Two Koreas Extend Economic Talks, No Progress on Nuclear Standoff
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D86833:2F72C9D
South Korean authorities indicate they are unlikely to agree to
North's requests for aid unless there is progress on nuclear issue
South Korean Vice Unification Minister Rhee Bong-jo, left, shakes
hands with North Korean counterpart Kim Man Gil North and South Korea
have extended their talks an extra day, as Seoul continues pressing
its neighbor to return to nuclear disarmament talks. South Korean
authorities have indicated they are unlikely to agree to the North's
requests for aid unless there is progress on the nuclear issue.
South Korean authorities say that talks with North Korea will be
extended for at least one more day, resuming Thursday.
Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon spoke to reporters Wednesday about the
progress of the talks.
Mr. Ban says South Korea is working on new proposals to assist the
North, if it returns to multinational talks on its nuclear weapons
programs.
The talks resumed for the first time this week after a 10-month hiatus
imposed by Pyongyang because South Korea airlifted hundreds of North
Korean defectors to Seoul last July.
The talks normally deal with economic and humanitarian matters, but
this session has been complicated by North Korea's refusal to return
to multinational nuclear negotiations for nearly a year.
South Korea, the United States, Russia, China, and Japan have tried
since last June to convince North Korea to return to negotiations
aimed at ending its nuclear weapons programs. In recent months, North
Korea has said it has nuclear weapons and intends to produce more,
despite having signed several international agreements to remain
nuclear free. There also are fears Pyongyang may be preparing for a
nuclear test.
At this week's talks, Pyongyang apparently is requesting 500,000 tons
of fertilizer to help produce food. South Korean negotiators have
indicated it would be difficult for Seoul to comply if there is no
progress on the nuclear issue.
Professor Nam Sung-wook, a North Korea specialist at Korea University
in Seoul, says such requests are politically difficult for the South.
"If North Korea will [come] back to the six-party talks next June, the
South Koreans will have no problem supporting North Korea this year.
However, with the nuclear crisis, South Korea can't decide (on) the
support," he said.
South Korea usually treats humanitarian aid to the North as a separate
matter from the nuclear issue.
However, Professor Nam points out North Korea's fertilizer request is
more than double the 200,000 tons South Korea earlier agreed to
provide. Providing the extra assistance with no progress on the
nuclear issue would subject authorities in Seoul to sharp criticism
from opposition parties here.
The United States and its partners are urging the North to return to
the nuclear bargaining table, saying successful talks are the best way
for Pyongyang to receive the economic assistance it needs. Assistant
Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. delegate to the
nuclear talks, said Wednesday in Australia that there is no formal
deadline for North Korea to resume talks, but added that Washington is
not willing to wait "forever."
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D86833:2F72C9D
South Korean authorities indicate they are unlikely to agree to
North's requests for aid unless there is progress on nuclear issue
South Korean Vice Unification Minister Rhee Bong-jo, left, shakes
hands with North Korean counterpart Kim Man Gil North and South Korea
have extended their talks an extra day, as Seoul continues pressing
its neighbor to return to nuclear disarmament talks. South Korean
authorities have indicated they are unlikely to agree to the North's
requests for aid unless there is progress on the nuclear issue.
South Korean authorities say that talks with North Korea will be
extended for at least one more day, resuming Thursday.
Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon spoke to reporters Wednesday about the
progress of the talks.
Mr. Ban says South Korea is working on new proposals to assist the
North, if it returns to multinational talks on its nuclear weapons
programs.
The talks resumed for the first time this week after a 10-month hiatus
imposed by Pyongyang because South Korea airlifted hundreds of North
Korean defectors to Seoul last July.
The talks normally deal with economic and humanitarian matters, but
this session has been complicated by North Korea's refusal to return
to multinational nuclear negotiations for nearly a year.
South Korea, the United States, Russia, China, and Japan have tried
since last June to convince North Korea to return to negotiations
aimed at ending its nuclear weapons programs. In recent months, North
Korea has said it has nuclear weapons and intends to produce more,
despite having signed several international agreements to remain
nuclear free. There also are fears Pyongyang may be preparing for a
nuclear test.
At this week's talks, Pyongyang apparently is requesting 500,000 tons
of fertilizer to help produce food. South Korean negotiators have
indicated it would be difficult for Seoul to comply if there is no
progress on the nuclear issue.
Professor Nam Sung-wook, a North Korea specialist at Korea University
in Seoul, says such requests are politically difficult for the South.
"If North Korea will [come] back to the six-party talks next June, the
South Koreans will have no problem supporting North Korea this year.
However, with the nuclear crisis, South Korea can't decide (on) the
support," he said.
South Korea usually treats humanitarian aid to the North as a separate
matter from the nuclear issue.
However, Professor Nam points out North Korea's fertilizer request is
more than double the 200,000 tons South Korea earlier agreed to
provide. Providing the extra assistance with no progress on the
nuclear issue would subject authorities in Seoul to sharp criticism
from opposition parties here.
The United States and its partners are urging the North to return to
the nuclear bargaining table, saying successful talks are the best way
for Pyongyang to receive the economic assistance it needs. Assistant
Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. delegate to the
nuclear talks, said Wednesday in Australia that there is no formal
deadline for North Korea to resume talks, but added that Washington is
not willing to wait "forever."
North Korean Ferry Makes First Port Visit of the Year to Japan
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D86834:2F72C9D
About 100 Japanese protesters waved their fists in the air and shouted
'go back home,' as the Mangyongbong arrived at the port of Niigata A
North Korean cargo and passenger ferry, a major economic link for the
cash-strapped communist state, has arrived at a northern Japanese port
for a 24-hour visit - its first journey to Japan this year. The vessel
was greeted by demonstrators and some 500 police officers.
Japanese media gather in front of the North Korean ferry
Mangyongbong-92 at the northern Japanese port of NiigataAbout 100
Japanese protesters waved their fists in the air and shouted "go back
home," as the Mangyongbong arrived at the port of Niigata Wednesday
morning.
Many of the demonstrators were family members of those abducted by
North Korean agents in Japan during the 1970's and 1980's.
The head of the association of family members, Teruaki Masumoto,
shouts at the North Korean crew aboard the ship to bring back from
North Korea the Japanese who were abducted. North Korea has
acknowledged abducting Mr. Masumoto's sister, Rumiko, in 1978 but says
she later died of a heart attack and her remains were washed away when
a cemetery was flooded.
Japan disputes North Korea's accounts of a number of the reported
deaths of those abducted. Family members say they believe many are
still alive. Japanese officials say more than 100 people might have
been abducted or were lured to North Korea and then held against their
will.
Shortly after the 9,600 ton North Korean vessel docked on Wednesday,
it was boarded by Coast Guard and customs inspectors who said they
found no violations.
Japan has made it more difficult for North Korean ships to enter the
country by enacting tougher insurance requirements to protect against
future oil spills and other accidents involving North Korea's rusting
cargo fleet.
Japan and North Korea have no diplomatic relations. The Mangyongbong,
the only direct ferry service between the two countries, canceled a
planned voyage to Niigata in January due to a problem in obtaining the
insurance required under the new regulations.
The Mangyongbong has been suspected of transporting parts for North
Korea's missile program, smuggling drugs and other contraband and
serving as a communications conduit for Pyongyang's intelligence
agents in Japan.
Local government officials in Niigata say the ship is expected to
depart Thursday with 80 tons of cargo and 200 passengers, mainly
students at Korean schools in Japan and other ethnic Koreans traveling
to visit relatives in the reclusive state.
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D86834:2F72C9D
About 100 Japanese protesters waved their fists in the air and shouted
'go back home,' as the Mangyongbong arrived at the port of Niigata A
North Korean cargo and passenger ferry, a major economic link for the
cash-strapped communist state, has arrived at a northern Japanese port
for a 24-hour visit - its first journey to Japan this year. The vessel
was greeted by demonstrators and some 500 police officers.
Japanese media gather in front of the North Korean ferry
Mangyongbong-92 at the northern Japanese port of NiigataAbout 100
Japanese protesters waved their fists in the air and shouted "go back
home," as the Mangyongbong arrived at the port of Niigata Wednesday
morning.
Many of the demonstrators were family members of those abducted by
North Korean agents in Japan during the 1970's and 1980's.
The head of the association of family members, Teruaki Masumoto,
shouts at the North Korean crew aboard the ship to bring back from
North Korea the Japanese who were abducted. North Korea has
acknowledged abducting Mr. Masumoto's sister, Rumiko, in 1978 but says
she later died of a heart attack and her remains were washed away when
a cemetery was flooded.
Japan disputes North Korea's accounts of a number of the reported
deaths of those abducted. Family members say they believe many are
still alive. Japanese officials say more than 100 people might have
been abducted or were lured to North Korea and then held against their
will.
Shortly after the 9,600 ton North Korean vessel docked on Wednesday,
it was boarded by Coast Guard and customs inspectors who said they
found no violations.
Japan has made it more difficult for North Korean ships to enter the
country by enacting tougher insurance requirements to protect against
future oil spills and other accidents involving North Korea's rusting
cargo fleet.
Japan and North Korea have no diplomatic relations. The Mangyongbong,
the only direct ferry service between the two countries, canceled a
planned voyage to Niigata in January due to a problem in obtaining the
insurance required under the new regulations.
The Mangyongbong has been suspected of transporting parts for North
Korea's missile program, smuggling drugs and other contraband and
serving as a communications conduit for Pyongyang's intelligence
agents in Japan.
Local government officials in Niigata say the ship is expected to
depart Thursday with 80 tons of cargo and 200 passengers, mainly
students at Korean schools in Japan and other ethnic Koreans traveling
to visit relatives in the reclusive state.
http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?Stor...18-032057-2754r
Analysis: N. Korea remains defiant
Jong-Heon Lee
Analysis: N. Korea remains defiant
Jong-Heon Lee
Latest Inter-Korean Talks End Without Nuclear Agreement
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D8B314:2F72C9D
First talks in 10 months end with a pledge to meet again next month
North and South Korea ended their first talks in 10 months with a
pledge to meet again next month. But Seoul failed to coax Pyongyang
back to negotiations over its nuclear-weapons programs.
South Korea will send some humanitarian assistance to the North as
agreed upon last year, but it concluded talks in the northern town of
Kaesong by refusing to grant Pyongyang's additional aid requests
without progress on the nuclear issue.
North Korea walked away from multi-national disarmament talks 11
months ago. It says it has nuclear weapons and will make more, despite
having signed several agreements to remain nuclear free.
Korea University Professor Ahn In-hye says South Korean Unification
Minister Chung Dong-young will have a lot at stake next month, when he
holds his first ministerial-level talks with the North.
"He wants to show some accomplishment as unification minister," said
Ahn In-hye.
Professor Ahn, however, says it is unlikely next month's meeting will
bring the North back to the nuclear talks. She thinks Pyongyang has no
desire to give up the weapons.
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D8B314:2F72C9D
First talks in 10 months end with a pledge to meet again next month
North and South Korea ended their first talks in 10 months with a
pledge to meet again next month. But Seoul failed to coax Pyongyang
back to negotiations over its nuclear-weapons programs.
South Korea will send some humanitarian assistance to the North as
agreed upon last year, but it concluded talks in the northern town of
Kaesong by refusing to grant Pyongyang's additional aid requests
without progress on the nuclear issue.
North Korea walked away from multi-national disarmament talks 11
months ago. It says it has nuclear weapons and will make more, despite
having signed several agreements to remain nuclear free.
Korea University Professor Ahn In-hye says South Korean Unification
Minister Chung Dong-young will have a lot at stake next month, when he
holds his first ministerial-level talks with the North.
"He wants to show some accomplishment as unification minister," said
Ahn In-hye.
Professor Ahn, however, says it is unlikely next month's meeting will
bring the North back to the nuclear talks. She thinks Pyongyang has no
desire to give up the weapons.
North Korea plays a waiting game on nuclear talks
The State Department reports it had 'working-level' contact with the
North last week. By Donald Kirk
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0520/p07s01-woap.html?s=hns
The State Department reports it had 'working-level' contact with the
North last week. By Donald Kirk
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0520/p07s01-woap.html?s=hns
-----------------------------------------------------------
U.S. MAKES CONTACT WITH N. KOREA
By Bill Sammon
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Bush administration, for the first time since December, has directly contacted North Korean officials and urged them to resume six-party talks aimed at curbing Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
?There were working-level contacts between the United States and North Korean officials last Friday, May 13, in New York City,? deputy White House press secretary Trent Duffy told reporters aboard Air Force One.
?This channel was used to reiterate the message, directly, that the North Koreans need to return to the six-party talks without conditions, so we can pursue a policy of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula,? he added.
The meeting was held two days after Pyongyang announced it had extracted 8,000 spent fuel rods from its main nuclear reactor and might use plutonium from the rods to build another nuclear weapon. Observers say North Korea already has several nuclear bombs.
The State Department dispatched Ambassador Joseph DeTrani, U.S. envoy to the six-party talks, and Jim Foster, director of the department's Office on Korean Affairs, to North Korea's U.N. mission in New York. They met face to face with U.N. Ambassador Pak Gil Yon of North Korea and his deputy, Han Song Ryol.
Although President Bush has been calling publicly for a resumption of six-party talks for months, it was not clear whether his message was being conveyed adequately to North Korea.
?Every now and then, when we think it's useful, we sit down with them directly and tell them the story directly of what our policy is,? said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.
The U.S. has been under growing pressure from its allies to open some form of communication directly with North Korea. The Bush administration, which has avoided bilateral discussions in favor of six-party talks, emphasized that last week's meeting did not represent a reversal of that stance.
?It is not in any way a negotiation,? Mr. Boucher said.
The State Department officials reiterated that Pyongyang must resume talks not just with the United States, but also China, South Korea, Japan and Russia. The administration wants North Korea's neighbors vested in all negotiations because Pyongyang violated an agreement it reached with the Clinton administration in 1994 to abandon its nuclear weapons programs.
Still, the U.S. remains willing to hold side meetings with North Korea in the larger context of six-party talks. Such side meetings were held in Beijing in June, the last time six-party talks took place.
?All North Korea has to do is commit to resuming the six-party process and we could have as many bilaterals as they want within that process,? Mr. DeTrani said Wednesday at a conference sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
?Commit to coming back to the six-party process,? he said. ?Bilaterals across the board would be available.?
Last week, he told North Korean officials that their country is a sovereign state and that Mr. Bush has no plans to invade.
(http://insider.washtimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050519-114437-8125r)
U.S. MAKES CONTACT WITH N. KOREA
By Bill Sammon
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Bush administration, for the first time since December, has directly contacted North Korean officials and urged them to resume six-party talks aimed at curbing Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
?There were working-level contacts between the United States and North Korean officials last Friday, May 13, in New York City,? deputy White House press secretary Trent Duffy told reporters aboard Air Force One.
?This channel was used to reiterate the message, directly, that the North Koreans need to return to the six-party talks without conditions, so we can pursue a policy of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula,? he added.
The meeting was held two days after Pyongyang announced it had extracted 8,000 spent fuel rods from its main nuclear reactor and might use plutonium from the rods to build another nuclear weapon. Observers say North Korea already has several nuclear bombs.
The State Department dispatched Ambassador Joseph DeTrani, U.S. envoy to the six-party talks, and Jim Foster, director of the department's Office on Korean Affairs, to North Korea's U.N. mission in New York. They met face to face with U.N. Ambassador Pak Gil Yon of North Korea and his deputy, Han Song Ryol.
Although President Bush has been calling publicly for a resumption of six-party talks for months, it was not clear whether his message was being conveyed adequately to North Korea.
?Every now and then, when we think it's useful, we sit down with them directly and tell them the story directly of what our policy is,? said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.
The U.S. has been under growing pressure from its allies to open some form of communication directly with North Korea. The Bush administration, which has avoided bilateral discussions in favor of six-party talks, emphasized that last week's meeting did not represent a reversal of that stance.
?It is not in any way a negotiation,? Mr. Boucher said.
The State Department officials reiterated that Pyongyang must resume talks not just with the United States, but also China, South Korea, Japan and Russia. The administration wants North Korea's neighbors vested in all negotiations because Pyongyang violated an agreement it reached with the Clinton administration in 1994 to abandon its nuclear weapons programs.
Still, the U.S. remains willing to hold side meetings with North Korea in the larger context of six-party talks. Such side meetings were held in Beijing in June, the last time six-party talks took place.
?All North Korea has to do is commit to resuming the six-party process and we could have as many bilaterals as they want within that process,? Mr. DeTrani said Wednesday at a conference sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
?Commit to coming back to the six-party process,? he said. ?Bilaterals across the board would be available.?
Last week, he told North Korean officials that their country is a sovereign state and that Mr. Bush has no plans to invade.
(http://insider.washtimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050519-114437-8125r)
--------------------
Meeting in N.Y. With N. Korea Yields Little
--------------------
The State Department says U.S. officials talked last week with envoys of the Pyongyang regime to clarify U.S. stance, not discuss new initiatives.
By Tyler Marshall and Barbara Demick
Times Staff Writers
May 20 2005
WASHINGTON; U.S. officials and North Korean representatives held a meeting in New York last week but discussed no new diplomatic initiatives to resolve the crisis over Pyongyang's quest for nuclear weapons, U.S. officials said Thursday.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,3070213.story
Meeting in N.Y. With N. Korea Yields Little
--------------------
The State Department says U.S. officials talked last week with envoys of the Pyongyang regime to clarify U.S. stance, not discuss new initiatives.
By Tyler Marshall and Barbara Demick
Times Staff Writers
May 20 2005
WASHINGTON; U.S. officials and North Korean representatives held a meeting in New York last week but discussed no new diplomatic initiatives to resolve the crisis over Pyongyang's quest for nuclear weapons, U.S. officials said Thursday.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,3070213.story
--------------------
Secret N. Korean Footage Suggests Nascent Dissent
--------------------
By Barbara Demick
Times Staff Writer
May 23 2005
BANGKOK, Thailand; With shaking hands, the North Korean climbed onto the shoulders of a buddy to reach the underside of the bridge. As another accomplice stood guard, he hung up a banner denouncing North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in bright red paint.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,1821537.story
Secret N. Korean Footage Suggests Nascent Dissent
--------------------
By Barbara Demick
Times Staff Writer
May 23 2005
BANGKOK, Thailand; With shaking hands, the North Korean climbed onto the shoulders of a buddy to reach the underside of the bridge. As another accomplice stood guard, he hung up a banner denouncing North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in bright red paint.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,1821537.story
http://cbsnewyork.com/topstories/topstorie..._144081328.html
N Korea Won't Rule Out Pre-Emptive Attack
N Korea Won't Rule Out Pre-Emptive Attack
--------------------
U.S. May Be Trying to Isolate N. Korea
--------------------
By Barbara Demick
Times Staff Writer
May 28 2005
SEOUL; By severing some of the few remaining U.S. ties with North Korea in recent days, the Bush administration appears to be trying to further isolate the Pyongyang regime over its pursuit of nuclear weapons, analysts say.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,7208172.story
U.S. May Be Trying to Isolate N. Korea
--------------------
By Barbara Demick
Times Staff Writer
May 28 2005
SEOUL; By severing some of the few remaining U.S. ties with North Korea in recent days, the Bush administration appears to be trying to further isolate the Pyongyang regime over its pursuit of nuclear weapons, analysts say.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,7208172.story
http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2005-daily/0...05/world/w2.htm
North Korea claims new US deployment signals invasion
North Korea claims new US deployment signals invasion
War of words escalates as Rumsfeld heads to a regional security conference.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0602/dailyUpdate.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0602/dailyUpdate.html
Am I allowed to post a North Korean cartoon propaganda cartoon that is offensive here for educational purposes?
I discovered this a few minutes ago and wanted to share it with anyone who is interested.
It is very strange, anti U.S.A., but the tune is kinda catchy.
KT
http://www.compfused.com/directlink/790/
I discovered this a few minutes ago and wanted to share it with anyone who is interested.
It is very strange, anti U.S.A., but the tune is kinda catchy.
KT
http://www.compfused.com/directlink/790/
Officials: US, N. Korea hold backdoor talks CNN International
--------------------
U.S., N. Korean Officials Again Hold N.Y. Talks
--------------------
Bush representatives, in 'listening mode,' visit the North's U.N. mission at the nation's request.
By Paul Richter and Barbara Demick
Times Staff Writers
June 7 2005
WASHINGTON — U.S. and North Korean officials met Monday in New York at the request of the North Koreans, State Department officials said, the second meeting in a month between the two countries at a time of high tensions over the communist state's refusal to return to nuclear disarmament talks.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,5599714.story
U.S., N. Korean Officials Again Hold N.Y. Talks
--------------------
Bush representatives, in 'listening mode,' visit the North's U.N. mission at the nation's request.
By Paul Richter and Barbara Demick
Times Staff Writers
June 7 2005
WASHINGTON — U.S. and North Korean officials met Monday in New York at the request of the North Koreans, State Department officials said, the second meeting in a month between the two countries at a time of high tensions over the communist state's refusal to return to nuclear disarmament talks.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,5599714.story
North Korea Indicates Willingness to Return to Nuke Talks
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=DCDBF1:2F72C9D
South Korean officials are not entirely convinced a new meeting will
be held soon and Pyongyang itself is vague on the matter Efforts to
bring North Korea back to negotiations over its nuclear weapons seem
to have taken a tentative step forward. South Korean officials are not
entirely convinced a new meeting will be held soon, and Pyongyang
itself is vague on the matter.
The United States says that North Korea expressed willingness to
return to talks about its nuclear weapons programs at a meeting
earlier this week in New York.
However, Kim Sung-chul at the South Korean Foreign Ministry on
Wednesday downplayed hopes of talks, saying there is no sign that
Pyongyang is departing from its previous position.
"That they are interested in the six party talks…. And they haven't
indicated any specific dates for the resumption, or anything like
that," said Kim Sung-chul.
And North Korea itself indicated that talks might not come soon. On
Wednesday, an official North Korean news broadcast said that
Pyongyang's return to the talks depended on the U.S. response to "our
demand of creating conditions and an environment for the resumption of
the talks."
Although the report did not specify those conditions, in the past
Pyongyang has said it would not negotiate unless Washington changes
what North Korea considers a hostile attitude. Pyongyang also demands
economic aid and security guarantees in return for freezing its
nuclear programs.
North Korea has met three times with Russia, China, the United States,
South Korea and Japan to discuss ending its nuclear programs. But, for
a year, it has refused to attend a fourth round. Pyongyang says it has
nuclear weapons and will build more, but has never conducted a nuclear
test.
Bruce Bennett, a researcher with the U.S. defense consulting firm
RAND, believes North Korea's stalling probably is strategic. Speaking
from Pyongyang's point of view, he says delay strengthens its
position.
"Because I'm [Pyongyang] gaining strength," said Mr. Bennett. "I'm
making more weapons, I'm gaining position within the community, people
are starting to believe more that I've got nuclear weapons, and I'm
empowered."
South Korea is expending considerable effort to bring its communist
neighbor back to the talks.
On Friday, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun visits the White House
to meet with President Bush. The two are expected to recommit to a
peaceful solution to the North Korean nuclear issue and to discuss
ways of presenting a united front in dealing with it.
Later this month, delegates from North Korea arrive in Seoul for
cabinet-level talks expected to focus on bringing Pyongyang back to
the table.
Chun Chae-Sung, an international security professor at Seoul National
University, says the stakes for Seoul are very high.
"If the fourth round [of nuclear talks] fails, then we might not have
any leverage. That makes us very desperate, which makes us search for
a solution more desperately with the United States," said Chun
Chae-Sung.
South Korea and the United States have set no formal deadline for the
North to return to talks, but they have also said that waiting for
Pyongyang's decision cannot go on indefinitely.
Washington has indicated it might refer the matter to the United
Nations, and seek sanctions against the North for violating its past
promises to not possess nuclear weapons. However, South Korea is
reluctant to push for sanctions, fearful of doing anything that
destabilizes the impoverished North.
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=DCDBF1:2F72C9D
South Korean officials are not entirely convinced a new meeting will
be held soon and Pyongyang itself is vague on the matter Efforts to
bring North Korea back to negotiations over its nuclear weapons seem
to have taken a tentative step forward. South Korean officials are not
entirely convinced a new meeting will be held soon, and Pyongyang
itself is vague on the matter.
The United States says that North Korea expressed willingness to
return to talks about its nuclear weapons programs at a meeting
earlier this week in New York.
However, Kim Sung-chul at the South Korean Foreign Ministry on
Wednesday downplayed hopes of talks, saying there is no sign that
Pyongyang is departing from its previous position.
"That they are interested in the six party talks…. And they haven't
indicated any specific dates for the resumption, or anything like
that," said Kim Sung-chul.
And North Korea itself indicated that talks might not come soon. On
Wednesday, an official North Korean news broadcast said that
Pyongyang's return to the talks depended on the U.S. response to "our
demand of creating conditions and an environment for the resumption of
the talks."
Although the report did not specify those conditions, in the past
Pyongyang has said it would not negotiate unless Washington changes
what North Korea considers a hostile attitude. Pyongyang also demands
economic aid and security guarantees in return for freezing its
nuclear programs.
North Korea has met three times with Russia, China, the United States,
South Korea and Japan to discuss ending its nuclear programs. But, for
a year, it has refused to attend a fourth round. Pyongyang says it has
nuclear weapons and will build more, but has never conducted a nuclear
test.
Bruce Bennett, a researcher with the U.S. defense consulting firm
RAND, believes North Korea's stalling probably is strategic. Speaking
from Pyongyang's point of view, he says delay strengthens its
position.
"Because I'm [Pyongyang] gaining strength," said Mr. Bennett. "I'm
making more weapons, I'm gaining position within the community, people
are starting to believe more that I've got nuclear weapons, and I'm
empowered."
South Korea is expending considerable effort to bring its communist
neighbor back to the talks.
On Friday, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun visits the White House
to meet with President Bush. The two are expected to recommit to a
peaceful solution to the North Korean nuclear issue and to discuss
ways of presenting a united front in dealing with it.
Later this month, delegates from North Korea arrive in Seoul for
cabinet-level talks expected to focus on bringing Pyongyang back to
the table.
Chun Chae-Sung, an international security professor at Seoul National
University, says the stakes for Seoul are very high.
"If the fourth round [of nuclear talks] fails, then we might not have
any leverage. That makes us very desperate, which makes us search for
a solution more desperately with the United States," said Chun
Chae-Sung.
South Korea and the United States have set no formal deadline for the
North to return to talks, but they have also said that waiting for
Pyongyang's decision cannot go on indefinitely.
Washington has indicated it might refer the matter to the United
Nations, and seek sanctions against the North for violating its past
promises to not possess nuclear weapons. However, South Korea is
reluctant to push for sanctions, fearful of doing anything that
destabilizes the impoverished North.
North Korea Said to Offer to Rejoin Nuclear Talks
(David E. Sanger, New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/08/internat...ia/08korea.html
Wednesday, June 8
The United States and China said Tuesday that North Korea had committed itself to returning eventually to multinational negotiations over its nuclear program, but officials said the North had set no date.
That left both American and Asian officials wondering whether North Korea was simply trying to defuse talk about the United States going to the United Nations to ask for sanctions.
The North Korean statements, after a yearlong suspension in the six-nation talks, came during a meeting on Monday in New York between the North's representatives to the United Nations and two American diplomats, Joseph DeTrani and Jim Foster.
But after a day of conflicting signals in Washington about what the North Koreans actually said, and an optimistic prediction by the Chinese representative to the United Nations that talks would resume "in the next couple of weeks," both American and Asian officials expressed caution.
North Korea: Playing the Carrot/Stick Game
(Ralph A. Cossa, Honolulu Advertiser - Opinion)
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/...8/op/op05p.html
Wednesday, June 8
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun meets later this week in Washington with President Bush to attempt, once again, to carve out a common position in dealing with North Korea's nuclear weapons aspirations. Roh will be urging "sweeter carrots," while Bush will be calling for "stronger sticks." They are both right.
The two leaders share a common objective: Both want North Korea to return to the six-party negotiating table and give up its nuclear weapons programs. This will require both sweeter carrots and stronger sticks. In order to get Pyongyang to seriously negotiate, it must be convinced that the benefits of cooperating outweigh the benefits of not cooperating and that the costs of not cooperating outweigh the costs of cooperating.
The Way to Deal with North Korea
(Interview with Joseph Cirincione, Council on Foreign Relations)
http://www.cfr.org/publication.php?id=8162
Non-Proliferation Director Joseph Cirincione spoke June 6 with Bernard Gwertzman of the Council on Foreign Relations on the possibility of a deal with North Korea.
I would do what Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher R. Hill is reported to want: To improve the negotiating offer. To offer the North Koreans--preferably in one-on-one talks--a clear path forward, of how they can, one: freeze their program; two: expect in return that there would be some economic incentives coming primarily from South Korea and China; and, three: open their facilities to inspectors again and lay out a plan for dismantling their program in return for a U.S. statement, such as President Bush has made in the past but a bit more formal this time, that the United States has no hostile intentions toward North Korea. They don't get the ultimate pay-off of a peace treaty, for example, or diplomatic recognition by the United States, until we are completely satisfied that that program has been shut down and destroyed or moved out of the country.
(David E. Sanger, New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/08/internat...ia/08korea.html
Wednesday, June 8
The United States and China said Tuesday that North Korea had committed itself to returning eventually to multinational negotiations over its nuclear program, but officials said the North had set no date.
That left both American and Asian officials wondering whether North Korea was simply trying to defuse talk about the United States going to the United Nations to ask for sanctions.
The North Korean statements, after a yearlong suspension in the six-nation talks, came during a meeting on Monday in New York between the North's representatives to the United Nations and two American diplomats, Joseph DeTrani and Jim Foster.
But after a day of conflicting signals in Washington about what the North Koreans actually said, and an optimistic prediction by the Chinese representative to the United Nations that talks would resume "in the next couple of weeks," both American and Asian officials expressed caution.
North Korea: Playing the Carrot/Stick Game
(Ralph A. Cossa, Honolulu Advertiser - Opinion)
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/...8/op/op05p.html
Wednesday, June 8
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun meets later this week in Washington with President Bush to attempt, once again, to carve out a common position in dealing with North Korea's nuclear weapons aspirations. Roh will be urging "sweeter carrots," while Bush will be calling for "stronger sticks." They are both right.
The two leaders share a common objective: Both want North Korea to return to the six-party negotiating table and give up its nuclear weapons programs. This will require both sweeter carrots and stronger sticks. In order to get Pyongyang to seriously negotiate, it must be convinced that the benefits of cooperating outweigh the benefits of not cooperating and that the costs of not cooperating outweigh the costs of cooperating.
The Way to Deal with North Korea
(Interview with Joseph Cirincione, Council on Foreign Relations)
http://www.cfr.org/publication.php?id=8162
Non-Proliferation Director Joseph Cirincione spoke June 6 with Bernard Gwertzman of the Council on Foreign Relations on the possibility of a deal with North Korea.
I would do what Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher R. Hill is reported to want: To improve the negotiating offer. To offer the North Koreans--preferably in one-on-one talks--a clear path forward, of how they can, one: freeze their program; two: expect in return that there would be some economic incentives coming primarily from South Korea and China; and, three: open their facilities to inspectors again and lay out a plan for dismantling their program in return for a U.S. statement, such as President Bush has made in the past but a bit more formal this time, that the United States has no hostile intentions toward North Korea. They don't get the ultimate pay-off of a peace treaty, for example, or diplomatic recognition by the United States, until we are completely satisfied that that program has been shut down and destroyed or moved out of the country.
North Korea says US must be friendly Taipei Times
North Korea said it wouldn't need any nuclear weapons if the US treated it like a friend as the isolated nation joined South Korea yesterday for high-level reconciliation talks shadowed by the international standoff over the North's nuclear ambitions. "If the United States treats the North in a friendly manner, we will possess not one nuclear weapon," the North Korean delegation said, according to Kim Chun-shick, spokesman for the South's side. The statement echoed a pledge by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il who met Friday with visiting South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and said Pyongyang could return to international nuclear disarmament talks as soon as next month if it gets appropriate respect from Washington. Chung, head of Seoul's delegation, yesterday urged the North to return to the nuclear talks in July, his ministry said in a summary of his remarks. "The North Korean nuclear issue is a matter between the two Koreas as well as an international one," Kim Chun-shick quoted Chung as saying. The North has stayed away from six-party talks aimed at persuading it to disarm since June 2004, citing "hostile" US policies, and declared in February that it had nuclear weapons. It has insisted that the nuclear standoff can only be discussed with the United States, and no breakthroughs on the issue were expected at this week's inter-Korean talks. The two Koreas were instead focusing on aid and cooperative projects to bridge their divided peninsula, including cross-border trade and family reunions among Koreans separated since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. At the start of Wednesday's talks, the North requested food aid citing continuing shortages, Kim Chun-shick said. He declined to specify the amount but said it was on par with donations made in previous years. On Saturday, the North requested 150,000 tons in fertilizer aid from the South, on top of 200,000 tons that it has already received this year. Seoul earlier this year declined to respond to a record request for 500,000 tons, citing previously stalled contacts with the North. In related news, Kim Jong-il attempted to engage President George W. Bush directly on the nuclear weapons issue three years ago but the administration spurned the overture, two American experts on Asia said on Wednesday. Writing in the Washington Post, former US ambassador to South Korea Donald Gregg and former journalist Don Oberdorfer expressed concern that Kim's November 2002 initiative was never pursued and urged Bush to respond positively to his current overture, made last week. When Bush took office in 2001, US officials estimated Pyongyang had fuel for one or two nuclear weapons. Now, that estimate is up to at least half a dozen and, the authors said, "many believe their claim to have fabricated the weapons themselves." Gregg and Oberdorfer said they visited Pyongyang in November 2002, after then-US Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly was there and accused the North of pursuing a secret program of enriching uranium for nuclear weapons. Gregg and Oberdorfer said while in Pyongyang "we were given a written personal message from Kim to Bush." Kim stated if the US recognized the North's sovereignty and provided non-aggression assurances "it is our view that we should be able to find a way to resolve the nuclear issue in compliance with the demands of a new century." Also in the message, Kim further promised "if the United States makes a bold decision, we will respond accordingly," the authors wrote in an opinion piece. They said they took the message to senior White House and State Department officials and urged them to follow up on Kim's initiative. But the administration, then planning for the Iraq invasion, "spurned engagement with North Korea," said Gregg and Oberdorfer.
US Plans to Renew Its Offer of Food Aid to North Korea New York Times
S.Korea urges North to return to nuclear talks Reuters
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North Korea said it wouldn't need any nuclear weapons if the US treated it like a friend as the isolated nation joined South Korea yesterday for high-level reconciliation talks shadowed by the international standoff over the North's nuclear ambitions. "If the United States treats the North in a friendly manner, we will possess not one nuclear weapon," the North Korean delegation said, according to Kim Chun-shick, spokesman for the South's side. The statement echoed a pledge by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il who met Friday with visiting South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and said Pyongyang could return to international nuclear disarmament talks as soon as next month if it gets appropriate respect from Washington. Chung, head of Seoul's delegation, yesterday urged the North to return to the nuclear talks in July, his ministry said in a summary of his remarks. "The North Korean nuclear issue is a matter between the two Koreas as well as an international one," Kim Chun-shick quoted Chung as saying. The North has stayed away from six-party talks aimed at persuading it to disarm since June 2004, citing "hostile" US policies, and declared in February that it had nuclear weapons. It has insisted that the nuclear standoff can only be discussed with the United States, and no breakthroughs on the issue were expected at this week's inter-Korean talks. The two Koreas were instead focusing on aid and cooperative projects to bridge their divided peninsula, including cross-border trade and family reunions among Koreans separated since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. At the start of Wednesday's talks, the North requested food aid citing continuing shortages, Kim Chun-shick said. He declined to specify the amount but said it was on par with donations made in previous years. On Saturday, the North requested 150,000 tons in fertilizer aid from the South, on top of 200,000 tons that it has already received this year. Seoul earlier this year declined to respond to a record request for 500,000 tons, citing previously stalled contacts with the North. In related news, Kim Jong-il attempted to engage President George W. Bush directly on the nuclear weapons issue three years ago but the administration spurned the overture, two American experts on Asia said on Wednesday. Writing in the Washington Post, former US ambassador to South Korea Donald Gregg and former journalist Don Oberdorfer expressed concern that Kim's November 2002 initiative was never pursued and urged Bush to respond positively to his current overture, made last week. When Bush took office in 2001, US officials estimated Pyongyang had fuel for one or two nuclear weapons. Now, that estimate is up to at least half a dozen and, the authors said, "many believe their claim to have fabricated the weapons themselves." Gregg and Oberdorfer said they visited Pyongyang in November 2002, after then-US Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly was there and accused the North of pursuing a secret program of enriching uranium for nuclear weapons. Gregg and Oberdorfer said while in Pyongyang "we were given a written personal message from Kim to Bush." Kim stated if the US recognized the North's sovereignty and provided non-aggression assurances "it is our view that we should be able to find a way to resolve the nuclear issue in compliance with the demands of a new century." Also in the message, Kim further promised "if the United States makes a bold decision, we will respond accordingly," the authors wrote in an opinion piece. They said they took the message to senior White House and State Department officials and urged them to follow up on Kim's initiative. But the administration, then planning for the Iraq invasion, "spurned engagement with North Korea," said Gregg and Oberdorfer.
US Plans to Renew Its Offer of Food Aid to North Korea New York Times
S.Korea urges North to return to nuclear talks Reuters
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Koreas Agree on Agenda, But No Date for Nuclear Talks Voice of America
After three days of talks, senior North and South Korean delegates have failed to agree on a date for renewed multi-national nuclear weapons talks. But they restated their commitment to a peaceful to a peaceful, diplomatic solution to the issue, and announced a number of new North-South cooperation initiatives. North Korean delegate Kwan Ho Ung said the two Koreas agree that the nuclear weapons issue should be solved diplomatically. Mr. Kwan said the past three days of high-level inter-Korean talks hosted by Seoul have reaffirmed the two countries' commitment to peaceful dialogue on the issue. But the two sides failed to agree on a specific date for North Korea to end its year-long boycott of multinational talks aimed at ending its nuclear weapons programs. South Korea had pressed the North to return to the negotiations in July. In Pyongyang last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il told South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young that the North might return to the talks as early as next month, if the United States showed Pyongyang respect. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the top U.S. delegate to the talks, says Washington will deal with all parties - Russia, China, Japan and the two Koreas - in a spirit of respect and equality. Despite the North's continued refusal to commit to the multi-lateral talks, Unification Minister Chung, the host of the talks, says Seoul agreed to provide an unspecified amount of food aid to Pyongyang. On Wednesday, Washington agreed to donate 50,000 tons of food aid to the North. Mr. Chung said the two sides also agreed on several practical points. Mr. Chung said the North and South agreed to hold more high-level meetings later in the year, including high-level military discussions at North Korea's Baekdu Mountain at a date to be named later. The two sides said economic cooperation talks are to be scheduled for next month, and Red Cross meetings are to be held in August. North Korea also agreed to allow separated families to hold brief reunions in August at the North's Kumgang Mountain resort. Mr. Chung said a separate pilot program will be launched to allow increased contact among members of separated families. He said some separated families will be allowed to make contact via a videoconference link. Earlier Thursday, the North Korean delegation met with President Roh Moo-hyun at his official residence here in Seoul. Mr. Roh sent a verbal message to North Korean leader Kim that the issue of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons capabilities should be resolved as soon as possible. The North Korean delegates are scheduled to return to Pyongyang Friday.
US urges North Korea to set talks date Reuters.uk
US calls on North Korea to give date for resumption of talks Forbes
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After three days of talks, senior North and South Korean delegates have failed to agree on a date for renewed multi-national nuclear weapons talks. But they restated their commitment to a peaceful to a peaceful, diplomatic solution to the issue, and announced a number of new North-South cooperation initiatives. North Korean delegate Kwan Ho Ung said the two Koreas agree that the nuclear weapons issue should be solved diplomatically. Mr. Kwan said the past three days of high-level inter-Korean talks hosted by Seoul have reaffirmed the two countries' commitment to peaceful dialogue on the issue. But the two sides failed to agree on a specific date for North Korea to end its year-long boycott of multinational talks aimed at ending its nuclear weapons programs. South Korea had pressed the North to return to the negotiations in July. In Pyongyang last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il told South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young that the North might return to the talks as early as next month, if the United States showed Pyongyang respect. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the top U.S. delegate to the talks, says Washington will deal with all parties - Russia, China, Japan and the two Koreas - in a spirit of respect and equality. Despite the North's continued refusal to commit to the multi-lateral talks, Unification Minister Chung, the host of the talks, says Seoul agreed to provide an unspecified amount of food aid to Pyongyang. On Wednesday, Washington agreed to donate 50,000 tons of food aid to the North. Mr. Chung said the two sides also agreed on several practical points. Mr. Chung said the North and South agreed to hold more high-level meetings later in the year, including high-level military discussions at North Korea's Baekdu Mountain at a date to be named later. The two sides said economic cooperation talks are to be scheduled for next month, and Red Cross meetings are to be held in August. North Korea also agreed to allow separated families to hold brief reunions in August at the North's Kumgang Mountain resort. Mr. Chung said a separate pilot program will be launched to allow increased contact among members of separated families. He said some separated families will be allowed to make contact via a videoconference link. Earlier Thursday, the North Korean delegation met with President Roh Moo-hyun at his official residence here in Seoul. Mr. Roh sent a verbal message to North Korean leader Kim that the issue of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons capabilities should be resolved as soon as possible. The North Korean delegates are scheduled to return to Pyongyang Friday.
US urges North Korea to set talks date Reuters.uk
US calls on North Korea to give date for resumption of talks Forbes
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http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?Stor...23-114949-7076r
Analysis: Koreas agree on reconciliation
Analysis: Koreas agree on reconciliation
S. Korea: Rice Visit A Chance For Talks Guardian Unlimited
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's two-day visit to Seoul next week offers a chance for progress on the international standoff with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, a senior South Korean official said Wednesday. Rice's July 12-13 trip to South Korea - part of an Asia-wide tour including China, Thailand and Japan - ``will be a good opportunity to have substantial discussions for an early resumption'' of stalled multination nuclear talks, South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon told reporters. North Korea has for the past year boycotted those negotiations aimed at shutting down its nuclear program, which U.S. officials believe already has produced at least two atomic bombs. The talks include the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia. Ban said Rice's stops in China, Japan and South Korea are part of diplomatic efforts to ``create a favorable atmosphere for North Korea'' to return to the table. Rice will meet with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and other officials over the nuclear impasse, Ban said. Hopes for a resumption of the negotiations rose last month after North Korean leader Kim Jong Il told a visiting South Korean official that the North could return to the negotiations as early as July - if Washington respects it as a partner. The United States has responded by urging the North to set a date for returning to the talks. ``An outline to resume the talks should be made in July,'' Ban said. ``We hope North Korea would meet the expectations of the international community by returning (to the talks) and do its part as a responsible member.'' Separately, a South Korean official said Cho Tae-yong, head of the Foreign Ministry's task force on the nuclear dispute, is in Washington to discuss the issue with U.S. officials. Cho was to meet with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill and Joseph DeTrani, the State Department's special envoy for North Korea negotiations, before returning Friday, Foreign Ministry official Shin Maeng-ho said. North Korea claimed in February it had nuclear weapons and has since made moves that would allow it to harvest more weapons-grade plutonium.
Seoul sees N.Korea nuclear talks this month Reuters.uk
North Korea Should Keep Its Word, Return to Talks, Ban Says Bloomberg
Korea Times - Boston Globe - New York Times - Reuters - all 128 related »
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's two-day visit to Seoul next week offers a chance for progress on the international standoff with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, a senior South Korean official said Wednesday. Rice's July 12-13 trip to South Korea - part of an Asia-wide tour including China, Thailand and Japan - ``will be a good opportunity to have substantial discussions for an early resumption'' of stalled multination nuclear talks, South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon told reporters. North Korea has for the past year boycotted those negotiations aimed at shutting down its nuclear program, which U.S. officials believe already has produced at least two atomic bombs. The talks include the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia. Ban said Rice's stops in China, Japan and South Korea are part of diplomatic efforts to ``create a favorable atmosphere for North Korea'' to return to the table. Rice will meet with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and other officials over the nuclear impasse, Ban said. Hopes for a resumption of the negotiations rose last month after North Korean leader Kim Jong Il told a visiting South Korean official that the North could return to the negotiations as early as July - if Washington respects it as a partner. The United States has responded by urging the North to set a date for returning to the talks. ``An outline to resume the talks should be made in July,'' Ban said. ``We hope North Korea would meet the expectations of the international community by returning (to the talks) and do its part as a responsible member.'' Separately, a South Korean official said Cho Tae-yong, head of the Foreign Ministry's task force on the nuclear dispute, is in Washington to discuss the issue with U.S. officials. Cho was to meet with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill and Joseph DeTrani, the State Department's special envoy for North Korea negotiations, before returning Friday, Foreign Ministry official Shin Maeng-ho said. North Korea claimed in February it had nuclear weapons and has since made moves that would allow it to harvest more weapons-grade plutonium.
Seoul sees N.Korea nuclear talks this month Reuters.uk
North Korea Should Keep Its Word, Return to Talks, Ban Says Bloomberg
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N.Korean delegation in Seoul for trade talks Reuters
A North Korea delegation arrived in Seoul on Saturday for trade talks which will open channels of communication between the two Koreas amid hopes for a resumption of six-party talks on ending Pyongyang's nuclear plan. The talks coincide with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's Asia trip, which Seoul believes could provide the final push for the North to return to the table. Her visit comes after North Korea recently signaled it wanted to return to talks, possibly this month but only if Washington met conditions, such as showing respect and refraining from hurling insults at its leader, Kim Jong-il. Flying to Beijing to start a six-day Asian tour, Rice said on Friday the United States was committed to "keeping doors open" so North Korea could return to six-party nuclear talks but would not alter its negotiating proposal as an incentive to make that happen. Rice said President Bush had set no deadline for reviving the talks, which include the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States and which have been stalled since June last year. Rice will visit China, Thailand and Japan before finishing in South Korea on Wednesday. South Korea's foreign minister said this week there would be in-depth discussions for an early resumption of the six-party talks during Rice's Korea visit. South Korean officials said they believe the talks could begin as early as this month. In another positive sign, Chinese President Hu Jintao is sending a former foreign minister to North Korea next week when Rice has talks in Tokyo and Seoul. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi also said on Friday he had got the impression from talks at the G8 summit that North Korea may soon return to the talks aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear programs in return for aid and security guarantees. U.S. officials say Pyongyang may have eight or more nuclear weapons, up from one or two at the start of Bush's term, and consider the reclusive communist state a major threat to regional and U.S. security. The trade talks between the Koreas could include discussions on food aid and railway links.
Rice Visits Asia With Eye on North Korea Los Angeles Times
Rice on mission to salvage North Korea nuclear talks Reuters.uk
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A North Korea delegation arrived in Seoul on Saturday for trade talks which will open channels of communication between the two Koreas amid hopes for a resumption of six-party talks on ending Pyongyang's nuclear plan. The talks coincide with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's Asia trip, which Seoul believes could provide the final push for the North to return to the table. Her visit comes after North Korea recently signaled it wanted to return to talks, possibly this month but only if Washington met conditions, such as showing respect and refraining from hurling insults at its leader, Kim Jong-il. Flying to Beijing to start a six-day Asian tour, Rice said on Friday the United States was committed to "keeping doors open" so North Korea could return to six-party nuclear talks but would not alter its negotiating proposal as an incentive to make that happen. Rice said President Bush had set no deadline for reviving the talks, which include the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States and which have been stalled since June last year. Rice will visit China, Thailand and Japan before finishing in South Korea on Wednesday. South Korea's foreign minister said this week there would be in-depth discussions for an early resumption of the six-party talks during Rice's Korea visit. South Korean officials said they believe the talks could begin as early as this month. In another positive sign, Chinese President Hu Jintao is sending a former foreign minister to North Korea next week when Rice has talks in Tokyo and Seoul. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi also said on Friday he had got the impression from talks at the G8 summit that North Korea may soon return to the talks aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear programs in return for aid and security guarantees. U.S. officials say Pyongyang may have eight or more nuclear weapons, up from one or two at the start of Bush's term, and consider the reclusive communist state a major threat to regional and U.S. security. The trade talks between the Koreas could include discussions on food aid and railway links.
Rice Visits Asia With Eye on North Korea Los Angeles Times
Rice on mission to salvage North Korea nuclear talks Reuters.uk
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http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a.../koreas_nuclear
NKorea Agrees to Rejoin Six Nation Talks
NKorea Agrees to Rejoin Six Nation Talks
North Korea agrees to rejoin nuclear talks CTV
North Korea said it will rejoin international nuclear disarmament talks in July, after quitting the six-nation negotiations more than a year ago. The breakthrough came as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Beijing for talks with Chinese leaders. The disarmament talks, which involve the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, China, and Russia, will resume July 25, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said. "We are able to confirm that we have an agreed upon date with all the parties for resuming six-party talks, the week of July 25," a senior U.S. official travelling with Rice said. The top envoys to the negotiations from the United States and North Korea -- U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill and North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan -- met Saturday in the Chinese capital, KCNA said. North Korea has long demanded that Washington apologize for statements made by Rice, in which she labelled the communist nation one of the world's "outposts of tyranny." In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il told a South Korean envoy that the North was ready to return to the talks this month if Washington showed respect. While the United States called such requests stalling tactics, it made a move to tone down rhetoric by recognizing North Korea as a sovereign state. "The U.S. side clarified its official stand to recognize (North Korea) as a sovereign state, not to invade it and hold bilateral talks within the framework of the six-party talks," KCNA reported Saturday. North Korean officials also said they took Hill's comments at the meeting in Beijing to be "a retraction" of the earlier remark. Some observers speculated that this was a face-saving way for the North to resume negotiations. North Korea has refused to attend the six-nation talks since June 2004, citing "hostile" U.S. policies. The latest dispute was sparked in late 2002, when U.S. officials accused the communist nation of violating international treaties by running a secret uranium-enrichment program. Washington and its allies cut off free fuel oil shipments to North Korea that were in place since a 1994 agreement with the U.S. North Korea later retaliated by abandoning the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and restarting its main reactor. In February, North Korea publicly admitted for the first time that it had nuclear weapons. Its "nuclear weapons will remain (a) nuclear deterrent for self-defence under any circumstances," North Korea's foreign ministry said at the time. The ministry added that the U.S.'s alleged attempt to dismantle North Korea's regime "compels us to take a measure to bolster its nuclear weapons arsenal in order to protect the ideology, system, freedom and democracy chosen by its people." The announcement sparked condemnation from politicians, including Russian and U.S. leaders, who called on North Korea to return to the table and continue talks.
North Korea agrees to rejoin nuclear talks International Herald Tribune
US, NK Under Pressure to Reopen Talks Korea Times
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North Korea said it will rejoin international nuclear disarmament talks in July, after quitting the six-nation negotiations more than a year ago. The breakthrough came as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Beijing for talks with Chinese leaders. The disarmament talks, which involve the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, China, and Russia, will resume July 25, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said. "We are able to confirm that we have an agreed upon date with all the parties for resuming six-party talks, the week of July 25," a senior U.S. official travelling with Rice said. The top envoys to the negotiations from the United States and North Korea -- U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill and North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan -- met Saturday in the Chinese capital, KCNA said. North Korea has long demanded that Washington apologize for statements made by Rice, in which she labelled the communist nation one of the world's "outposts of tyranny." In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il told a South Korean envoy that the North was ready to return to the talks this month if Washington showed respect. While the United States called such requests stalling tactics, it made a move to tone down rhetoric by recognizing North Korea as a sovereign state. "The U.S. side clarified its official stand to recognize (North Korea) as a sovereign state, not to invade it and hold bilateral talks within the framework of the six-party talks," KCNA reported Saturday. North Korean officials also said they took Hill's comments at the meeting in Beijing to be "a retraction" of the earlier remark. Some observers speculated that this was a face-saving way for the North to resume negotiations. North Korea has refused to attend the six-nation talks since June 2004, citing "hostile" U.S. policies. The latest dispute was sparked in late 2002, when U.S. officials accused the communist nation of violating international treaties by running a secret uranium-enrichment program. Washington and its allies cut off free fuel oil shipments to North Korea that were in place since a 1994 agreement with the U.S. North Korea later retaliated by abandoning the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and restarting its main reactor. In February, North Korea publicly admitted for the first time that it had nuclear weapons. Its "nuclear weapons will remain (a) nuclear deterrent for self-defence under any circumstances," North Korea's foreign ministry said at the time. The ministry added that the U.S.'s alleged attempt to dismantle North Korea's regime "compels us to take a measure to bolster its nuclear weapons arsenal in order to protect the ideology, system, freedom and democracy chosen by its people." The announcement sparked condemnation from politicians, including Russian and U.S. leaders, who called on North Korea to return to the table and continue talks.
North Korea agrees to rejoin nuclear talks International Herald Tribune
US, NK Under Pressure to Reopen Talks Korea Times
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...5071000409.html
US Willing to Work With N. Korea to Resolve Impasse
US Willing to Work With N. Korea to Resolve Impasse
US officials happy, cautious about North Korea talks Seattle Times
For more than a year, diplomatic talks over abolishing North Korea's nuclear-weapons program had languished. Prospects for breaking the silent deadlock seemed bleak. But a weekend meal between an American and a North Korean diplomat set the discussions on a fresh course. So when North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States convene a meeting the week of July 25 to resume talks about turning the Korean Peninsula into a nuclear-free zone, the negotiations will be a test of the good faith expressed through a clinking of wine glasses after dinner. "We had a toast to the future of the six-party talks," said one senior U.S. official who participated in the Saturday evening meal in the Chinese capital. "A toast to good progress at the six-party talks." While the Bush administration is unmistakably pleased by North Korea's decision to rejoin talks that have been at a standstill since June 2004, the reaction stopped well short of elation given the complicated history of negotiating with the communist nation. North Korea is believed to have at least two — and perhaps more — nuclear weapons. As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice left Beijing yesterday after meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao and other top officials, she struck a note of caution. "It's a very good thing that we are going back to the talks, but it is only a start," Rice said. "It is not the goal of the talks to have talks. It is the goal of the talks to have progress." In an interview with Fox News, Rice added pointedly, "We should not spend too much time celebrating the fact that we're going back to the talks." She said North Korea has a "bar to pass to show that it's really interested in and determined to give up its nuclear weapons. Rice is scheduled to discuss the disarmament talks with her East Asian counterparts as she travels to Japan and South Korea today and tomorrow. She came to the region for the second time in less than four months, aides said, because she knew a deal was close to being reached and to show a high-level U.S. commitment to the discussions. Three rounds of discussions among the six nations were held during 2003 and 2004. The talks, however, yielded limited progress in sizing up and ultimately dissolving North Korea's nuclear-weapons program. But the landscape has changed for North Korea, which is struggling to cope with a lack of electricity and a growing food shortage. A senior Bush administration official said those were the two key ingredients in North Korea's seeming willingness to negotiate. If North Korea agreed to dismantle its nuclear-weapons program, financial incentives would be offered as an inducement from neighboring South Korea and China.
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US tries courtesy with North Korea Globe and Mail
US hopes for immediate progress at upcoming North Korea talks Knight-Ridder Washington Bureau
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For more than a year, diplomatic talks over abolishing North Korea's nuclear-weapons program had languished. Prospects for breaking the silent deadlock seemed bleak. But a weekend meal between an American and a North Korean diplomat set the discussions on a fresh course. So when North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States convene a meeting the week of July 25 to resume talks about turning the Korean Peninsula into a nuclear-free zone, the negotiations will be a test of the good faith expressed through a clinking of wine glasses after dinner. "We had a toast to the future of the six-party talks," said one senior U.S. official who participated in the Saturday evening meal in the Chinese capital. "A toast to good progress at the six-party talks." While the Bush administration is unmistakably pleased by North Korea's decision to rejoin talks that have been at a standstill since June 2004, the reaction stopped well short of elation given the complicated history of negotiating with the communist nation. North Korea is believed to have at least two — and perhaps more — nuclear weapons. As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice left Beijing yesterday after meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao and other top officials, she struck a note of caution. "It's a very good thing that we are going back to the talks, but it is only a start," Rice said. "It is not the goal of the talks to have talks. It is the goal of the talks to have progress." In an interview with Fox News, Rice added pointedly, "We should not spend too much time celebrating the fact that we're going back to the talks." She said North Korea has a "bar to pass to show that it's really interested in and determined to give up its nuclear weapons. Rice is scheduled to discuss the disarmament talks with her East Asian counterparts as she travels to Japan and South Korea today and tomorrow. She came to the region for the second time in less than four months, aides said, because she knew a deal was close to being reached and to show a high-level U.S. commitment to the discussions. Three rounds of discussions among the six nations were held during 2003 and 2004. The talks, however, yielded limited progress in sizing up and ultimately dissolving North Korea's nuclear-weapons program. But the landscape has changed for North Korea, which is struggling to cope with a lack of electricity and a growing food shortage. A senior Bush administration official said those were the two key ingredients in North Korea's seeming willingness to negotiate. If North Korea agreed to dismantle its nuclear-weapons program, financial incentives would be offered as an inducement from neighboring South Korea and China.
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US tries courtesy with North Korea Globe and Mail
US hopes for immediate progress at upcoming North Korea talks Knight-Ridder Washington Bureau
Financial Express - Bloomberg - Chosun Ilbo - Washington Post - all 1,242 related »
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