YONHAP NEWS

NORTH KOREA THIS WEEK NO. 491 (March 20, 2008)

   *** TOPIC OF THE WEEK

U.S., North Korean Nuclear Envoys Make Progress in Geneva Talks

SEOUL (Yonhap) -- Amid a prolonged stalemate in the negotiations on North Korea's nuclear weapons programs, chief negotiators of the North and the United States met in Geneva on March 13 to try to make a breakthrough. The deadlock has put the six-party talks on hold since the deadline for the second phase of Pyongyang's denuclearization expired at the end of last year.

   The chief nuclear envoys failed to produce an immediate breakthrough but they said some progress was made, although not enough.

   Chief U.S. envoy Christopher Hill did not rule out the possibility of a dramatic deal later on, saying some progress has been made and the results of the talks would be reported to each other's capital. "It was good consultations but we are not there yet," Hill told reporters after a day-long meeting with his counterpart Kim Kye-gwan. The North's negotiator also said he was satisfied with the talks but refused to go into details.

   "I don't want to suggest that we've paved the way and are waiting for the cement to dry," Hill said. Adding that they had "good discussions on all substantive issues," Hill said, "I'm not really in a position to tell whether we've resolved that except to say that I think we've made some progress today."
The meeting between the two most crucial players in the six-party talks was reportedly arranged at the North's request amid the stalemate in negotiations over Pyongyang's declaration of its nuclear programs.

   The Hill-Kim meeting was seen as crucial for the future of last year's hard-won multilateral deal which requires Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program in return for economic aid and political incentives. The Soviet-era nuclear reactor in Yongbyon is being disabled slowly, and the North has already received some of its promised heavy fuel aid.

   After the eight-hour meeting with Kim, Hill said, "We had a long day of discussions, (and) we are in a better position now than when we arrived." The two sides talked about a host of sensitive issues including uranium enrichment and humanitarian assistance, he added.

   North Korea last year signed a landmark deal to abandon all of its nuclear weapons in exchange for badly needed energy and economic aid and major security and diplomatic benefits. But the process -- involving China, Japan, both Koreas, Russia and the U.S. -- has been stalled since North Korea missed the Dec. 31, 2007 deadline to declare all of its nuclear programs and disable its plutonium plant.

   Pyongyang denies the existence of a clandestine uranium enrichment program (UEP) and any proliferation activities, but Washington is intent on getting Pyongyang to address them in the list for future verification measures. Washington insists that these two issues need to be addressed in the declaration in order for it to be acceptable.

   Still, hopes for a resolution have been running high following reports that Washington is moving to show some flexibility on the format of the declaration. The speculation has been that the UEP and nuclear proliferation issues will be dealt with in a separate forum or statement with the U.S.

   Hill insisted earlier that Washington needed a full and frank declaration, and that verbal assurances would not suffice. "We cannot be flexible on the fact that we need a complete and correct declaration," Hill said.

   China, the host of the six-party talks, has reportedly suggested alternatives for both Washington and Pyongyang to reach a compromise. News reports say Beijing proposed the declaration include the positions of both the United States and North Korea, acknowledging the points of conflict, but relevant officials have not confirmed it.

   Inside sources said the United States is likely to have suggested drawing up the declaration in multiple sections so the contentious points remain undisclosed.

   Kim reiterated Pyongyang's position. "We did not have, we don't have and we will not have," Kim said after coming out of talks with Hill, referring to the UEP and the proliferation activities. But he also said that he was satisfied with the talks.

   Contending that the delay in denuclearization was caused by a delay in the U.S. lifting of political sanctions of the North, Kim said, "As we plan to do what we must do from now on, the United States should also do what they need to do."
The second phase of North Korea's denuclearization involves the North disabling its main nuclear facilities and submitting the declaration in return for energy incentives. More importantly for the North, the United States has also promised to remove it from a list of state sponsors of terrorism, and terminate the application of the Trading with the Enemies Act to Pyongyang.

   After the Geneva talks, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the standard for North Korea's declaration is for the country to include its activities in both the present and the past. "I don't know what advantage there is to be gained by... being known as a state that does not fulfill its commitments," he told reporters. "That is a reputation it had in the past. I think there are indications that North Korea is trying to break with that past."
On March 14, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was briefed on the nuclear negotiations with North Korea in Geneva. "I do know that Chris (Hill) has spoken several times with the secretary immediately following his press conference in Geneva, and also just this morning as well," the spokesman said. He declined to go into details on the Rice's talks with Hill.

   Several days later, North Korea's main news outlet belatedly made brief reports on the Geneva talks. On March 18, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency reported last week's one-on-one talks between the top nuclear negotiators, without commenting.

   "The DPRK-U.S. meeting was held in Geneva, Switzerland, March 13-14," the KCNA said, referring to the North by the acronym for its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

   "The talks discussed in detail the differences existing between the DPRK and the U.S. as for the implementation of the October 3 six-party agreement," it said "The two sides decided to continue direct discussions on ways to resolve problems in implementing the October 3 agreement."
In another development, South Korea's new Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan will embark March 20 on a trip to China that will be his first trip overseas as Seoul's top diplomat.

   The minister also plans to hold his first-ever talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi on March 21 for wide-ranging consultations on Seoul-Beijing relations and possibly on the North Korean nuclear issue as well as cooperation on the international stage.

  (END)