YONHAP NEWS

Talks on N. Korean nukes should resume before March: FM

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Yonhap) -- North Korea and regional powers should reopen their nuclear talks by the end of February if they want to salvage the often-troubled forum, South Korea's foreign minister said Tuesday.

   "The six-party talks should be resumed in January or before the Lunar New Year's holiday (in mid-February) or the end of February. Otherwise the life of the talks may come to an end," Minister Yu Myung-hwan told reporters.

   The minister's comments come about two weeks after high-powered U.S. envoy Stephen Bosworth visited Pyongyang in an attempt to pull North Korea back to the six-way forum. Bosworth met with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok-ju, known to be the architect of the communist regime's nuclear diplomacy.

   North Korea and the U.S. announced afterward that the meeting yielded a "common understanding" on the need to reconvene the Beijing-based talks. But they have yet to agree on when or under what conditions the North will return to the bargaining table.

   Many expect the two sides to hold additional talks to discuss those details after the New Year.

   Yu's comments indicated that South Korea may have a specific timetable to restart the six-party talks, which have been deadlocked for a year.

   A South Korean nuclear negotiator, however, said the minister was just emphasizing Seoul's position that the multilateral negotiations also involving China, Russia, and Japan should be resumed as early as possible.

   "No discussions are under way yet among relevant parties on a concrete schedule for a new round of six-way talks," he said on condition of anonymity.

   lcd@yna.co.kr
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