YONHAP NEWS

(LEAD) U.S. sees signs of progress for reopening of 6-way talks: Clinton

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 (Yonhap) -- The United States sees hopeful signs for North Korea's return to stalled six-party talks on ending its nuclear ambitions, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday.

   "Ultimately, it is up to the North Koreans, but we're encouraged by signs of progress to return to the talks that we are seeing," Clinton told reporters after meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan at the State Department. "We discussed all of the challenges to the resumption of peace negotiations, but the imperative of beginning to do so as soon as possible."

   Clinton said that Stephen Bosworth, special representative for North Korea policy, and Sung Kim, special envoy for six-party talks, "are quite heartened by the movement we see in our joint efforts."

   Sung Kim shortened his trip to Asia to attend Clinton's meeting with Yu while Bosworth is currently in Tokyo on the third leg of his weeklong Asian trip, which also brought them to Seoul and Beijing.

   Clinton did not elaborate on the challenges, but North Korea has called for lifting of sanctions and beginning of talks for a peace treaty to replace the 1950-53 Korean War armistice before it returns to the six-party talks. The North has boycotted the talks since U.N. sanctions were imposed for its nuclear and missile tests early last year.

   U.S. officials have said those issues will be discussed only after Pyongyang returns to the six-party forum.

   Yu underscored that point.

   "North Korea needs to come back to the six-party talks before discussing all the issues involved," he said. "What North Korea says at the moment is already stipulated in the joint statement of Sept. 19, 2005. We can discuss those issues at separate forums when progress is made on North Korea's denuclearization."

   The 2005 nuclear deal calls for provision of massive economic aid, diplomatic recognition of North Korea by Washington and Tokyo and a peace treaty to replace the armistice.

   On a report that North Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Kim Kye-gwan, will soon visit New York for another high-level contact with the U.S. on the sidelines of an academic seminar, Yu said, "We've agreed that any such bilateral meeting should be linked directly to reopening of the six-party talks."

   The international community should maintain its current policy of promoting dialogue and imposing sanctions so North Korea will come back to the nuclear talks without preconditions, the chief South Korean diplomat said.

   Yu, however, could not say when the six-party talks might resume.

   "It is premature for me to say that, because North Korea's position is unclear," he said. "North Korea has interest in the six-party talks and relevant countries are coordinating."

   Philip Crowley, assistant secretary of state for public affairs, was a bit more positive.

   "We see the potential here for the six-party process to begin, you know, in the coming weeks or months," Crowley told a daily news briefing. "But the key is looking for a signal from North Korea they are in fact prepared to make that commitment."

   The spokesman described the outcome of the recent flurry of diplomacy involving the resumption of the six-party talks.

   "In their consultations, we see signs that they may be getting closer to making a decision," he said. "We're working with our partners in the six-party process to figure out how to create a path that encourages North Korea to say yes."

   Bosworth, who visited Pyongyang in December in the first bilateral contact with North Korea under the Obama administration, said in Beijing Wednesday, after meeting with Chinese nuclear envoy Wu Dawei, that the U.S. and other parties involved want to "regain momentum" for an early resumption of the nuclear negotiations.

   Wu met with Kim Kye-gwan in Beijing early this month.

   Bosworth did not elaborate on the possibility of another one-on-one dialogue with North Korea, just saying, "I don't want to comment on the substance of these discussions because I believe it would not be all that helpful for the overall diplomatic effort."

   The Chinese foreign ministry earlier this week encouraged bilateral dialogue between North Korea and the U.S. within the six-party framework.

   Kim Kye-gwan's Beijing trip was made soon after a visit to Pyongyang by Wang Jiarui, head of the international liaison department of the Chinese Communist Party, to meet with leader Kim Jong-il for the fifth time since 2004.

   The North Korean leader reaffirmed to Wang his nation's commitment to denuclearization, but also underscored "sincere efforts" of the parties involved in an apparent reference to the North's demand for a peace treaty and the removal of sanctions.

   hdh@yna.co.kr
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