U.S. Envoy not Hopeful on Korea Nuke Talks
04/11/2006
The Associated Press,
The New York Times
TOKYO -- The top U.S. negotiator on ending North Korea's nuclear program on Tuesday renewed his call for the country to rejoin six-party talks, but said after meeting officials from other key nations that he didn't expect it to happen soon.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill held a round of meetings with counterparts on the North Korea talks from Japan, South Korea and China on Tuesday on the sidelines of a security conference in Tokyo.
''My understanding is that the DPRK is still not willing to rejoin the six-party process,'' Hill told reporters late Tuesday. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
North Korea's delegate to the nuclear talks, Kim Kye Gwan, was also attending the conference.
Hill denied reports he met with North Korean and Chinese nuclear envoys for talks on Tuesday evening. U.S. and North Korean officials have refused to confirm any official contact between the two sides.
This week's security meetings had raised hopes about the possibility of restarting talks that have been stalled since last year on ending North Korea's nuclear program in exchange for aid.
North Korea has boycotted the six-party nuclear talks since November, citing what it calls a hostile U.S. attitude illustrated by the sanctions it has imposed.
North Korea's Kim said Monday he is prepared to meet bilaterally with the U.S., but has not backed away from his insistence that Pyongyang will return to the negotiating table only if the U.S. lifts financial sanctions.
Washington maintains that sanctions on North Korean companies for alleged financial crimes are unrelated to the nuclear talks and will stay in place.
Hill described his Tuesday morning meeting with China's top nuclear envoy, Wu Dawei, as ''very excellent'' and said Beijing was committed to resolving the standoff through dialogue.
''We discussed the way forward in the six-party process,'' Hill said, without giving details. ''We discussed some specific ideas about how we can make the process move ahead.''
Hill also met South Korea's Chun and Japan's Kenichiro Sasae.
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.''
The security conference'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.
