Top U.S. Diplomat Rules Out Bilateral Meeting with N. Korea
04/11/2006
Associated Press,
Khaleej Times Online, Dubai
TOKYO - The top US nuclear envoy on Tuesday called on North Korea to return to the six-party talks aimed at curbing Pyongyang’s nuclear ambition but ruled out a one-on-one meeting with his North Korean counterpart.
“This is not about talks, this is really about action, and the action is they need to join the six-party process. We are ready. I’ve got a suitcase all set to go,” US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters before talks with his South Korean counterpart, Chun Young-woo.
Hill also dismissed the possibility of his meeting with North Korea’s chief delegate, Kim Kye Gwan, on the sidelines of a two-day security forum in Tokyo, saying meetings are not an issue.
“I do not have any plans for more meetings,” Hill said. “We can meet with DPRK any time, day or night, when they are in the six-party process.” DPRK stands for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Hill’s comments come as delegates from all six nations involved in the talks - the US, the two Koreas, China, Japan and Russia - are gathering in Tokyo for a private regional security conference.
The delegates held a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines, but so far no signs of a breakthrough have emerged.
After meeting South Korea’s Chun on Tuesday morning, Hill also met China’s top nuclear envoy Wu Dawei.
Chun said he was making efforts to help the United States and North Korea to find common ground.
Chun told reporters after meeting with Hill that North Korea seems to be considering talks but that “it is difficult to say at this point whether it will lead to a resumption.”
Speaking at Monday’s opening ceremony, Susan Shirk, co-organizer of the talks, said the two-day conference “might be helpful” for officials involved, but cautioned, “This forum is not a substitute for the official six-party talks.”
The forum’s agenda will focus on energy, verification processes regarding the North’s nuclear program and ways to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, according to the sponsors, University of California, San Diego.
North Korea’s Kim said Monday he is prepared to meet bilaterally with the US, but has not backed away from his insistence that Pyongyang will return to the negotiating table only if the US lifts financial sanctions.
Washington typically refuses to hold one-on-one talks with North Korea, preferring negotiations within the six-party context.
North Korea has boycotted the six-party nuclear talks since November, citing what it calls a hostile US attitude illustrated by the sanctions Washington imposed on North Korean companies for alleged financial crimes.
Washington maintains the sanctions are unrelated to the nuclear talks and will stay in place.
