|
US wants quick resumption of nuke talks
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-12 08:49
The United States wants to quickly resume nuclear talks with North Korea, the
U.S. envoy to Seoul said Thursday, as the top American negotiator headed to
China for discussions on the North's nuclear ambitions.
"The United States is eager to resume negotiations as soon as possible so
that we can make rapid progress toward the elimination of North Korea's nuclear
programs," U.S. ambassador Alexander Vershbow said in a speech in Seoul. "Our
negotiators are packed and ready to go."
![Christopher Hill, the top U.S. negotiator for international nuclear talks with North Korea, listens to a reporter's question after he arrived at Kimpo International Airport in Seoul, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006.[AP]](xin_110103120937467108406.jpg)
Christopher Hill, the top U.S. negotiator for
international nuclear talks with North Korea, listens to a reporter's
question after he arrived at Kimpo International Airport in Seoul,
Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006.[AP] | The top U.S.
negotiator said Wednesday he plans to query Chinese officials for signs
Pyongyang is serious about abandoning its nuclear programs.
"We are interested in talks about progress and talks about denuclearization,"
US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters upon arrival in
South Korea for an overnight stop before proceeding to Beijing on Thursday.
"We'll have to see what the Chinese have heard most recently from the DPRK
side, and perhaps they have some very fresh news," Hill said, referring to the
North by the abbreviation of its official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic
of Korea.
Hill's Asia trip comes as six-nation nuclear talks aimed at getting North
Korea to abandon its nuclear programs are stalled over Pyongyang's anger at
U.S.-imposed sanctions related to alleged counterfeiting and other wrongdoing by
the North.
His schedule of talks with counterparts in Japan, South Korea and China _ all
members of the six-nation group, which also includes Russia _ also come amid
reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is visiting China.
Chief U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill seen
holding a news conference after attending six-party nuclear talks in
Beijing in this November 11, 2005 file
photo.[Reuters/file] | "I must say the trip that Chairman Kim Jong Il took to China was a surprise
to all of us," Hill said. "It's a complete coincidence that I'm in the area at
the same time."
He did not say if the U.S. has confirmed Kim's visit.
North Korean Kim is widely believed to have gone by train Tuesday to
China, his country's closest ally. But his trip has yet to be officially
announced by North Korean or Chinese authorities, and his ultimate destination
is unknown.
China's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that Kim planned to visit Beijing at
some point _ and that the nuclear issue would be a key topic for discussion _
but did not give the exact timing.
The six-party talks, launched in 2003, resulted in a breakthrough in
September as North Korea pledged to give up its nuclear program in exchange for
aid and security assurances.
But follow-up negotiations have stalled. The biggest holdup is the dispute
over U.S. sanctions that Pyongyang says is part of Washington's "hostile policy"
aimed at toppling its government behind a smoke screen of dialogue.
"We are very much committed to the six-party process," Hill said. "We want to
get moving on it."
Early this week, the North sent its highest-level signal yet that the
six-party talks are unlikely to resume anytime soon, with its Foreign Ministry
saying it cannot return to the negotiating table as long as Washington maintains
the sanctions.
Pyongyang has said it won't return to the table unless Washington lifts
sanctions, insisting the two issues are intertwined. Hill said the U.S. stance
has not changed.
"I want to emphasize it's not a six-party talk matter," he said of the
sanctions. "It's certainly a law enforcement issue."
Hill met earlier Wednesday with his Japanese counterpart Kenichiro Sasae in
Tokyo, and planned to meet South Korean nuclear negotiator Song Min-soon in
Seoul.
Song visited Beijing on Monday and Tuesday for talks with China's Wu Dawei on
jump-starting the nuclear talks. Hill plans to meet Wu in Beijing.
South Korea's Song blamed mistrust between the U.S. and the North for the
nuclear talks deadlock. "There is an enormous gap in trust ... We're in a
situation where patience is needed," he told a forum on Wednesday, without
providing specifics on his trip to Beijing.
Song also said that details of the next six-party meeting, including the
timing, will be determined by the end of this month.
|
