North Korea talks set to resume after atomic test
By Valerie Lim,WNS Beijing Correspondent
BEIJING - Six-nation talks aimed at convincing North Korea to give up its nuclear programme were set to resume here Monday, just over two months after the reclusive nation conducted its first atomic test. The envoys from the six nations involved -- host China, the two Koreas, the United States, Japan and Russia -- met informally for a dinner on Sunday night and were due to begin official discussions on Monday morning.
The talks are being held for the first time since North Korea conducted its historic nuclear test on October 9, and following a 13-month suspension of the forum due to anger in Pyongyang over US financial sanctions imposed against it. The chief US envoy to the talks, Christopher Hill, reaffirmed that the main goal of the United States in the negotiations was for North Korea to agree to give up its nuclear programme. "What the DPRK (North Korea) needs to do is to get serious with denuclearization," Hill said.
"If they get serious with denuclearization, a lot of good things can happen ... if they do not get serious about denuclearization, such things will go away." Hill said he wanted North Korea to recommit to a six-party deal struck in September last year in which it agreed to give up its nuclear programme in return for security aid, energy benefits and other aid. But Pyongyang's chief envoy, Kim Kye-Gwan, struck a familiar confrontational tone when he arrived in Beijing on Saturday, blaming a "hostile" US policy against North Korea for the nuclear crisis. "The nuclear issues cannot be resolved until the United States takes a co-existence policy," Kim said. "I'm not optimistic about prospects for the six-party talks."
posted by wnsworld @ 12:45 PM
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