[Editorial] Six-Party Talks Must Agree to Joint Document

The second stage of the fourth round of six-party talks starts today (Tuesday) in Beijing, 37 days since deciding to take a break on August 7. Coincidentally there is a four-day series of intra-Korean ministerial talks starting today in Pyongyang. One hopes to see each discussion positively influence the other and produce positive results.

The first stage of the current talks were a time for participating nations to let their intentions be known and try to establish common goals and principles for resolving their problems. Now they must decide on their goals and principles and produce a joint document. For that to happen, it is particularly the United States and North Korea that must approach the talks in good faith and with passion, because only by doing so will they be able to find flexible and creative points of common ground. It needs to be remembered that the biggest obstacle to progress at the talks has been the mutual distrust.

Such is the case with what is currently the biggest point of contention, the right to peaceful use of nuclear technology. As a sovereign state North Korea rightly has that right, but it is essential that it first win the trust of the international community. Therefore an agreement will invariably be accomplished by linking the use of nuclear technology with levels of confidence building. The North will find it hard to decide to immediately renounce all uses of nuclear technology without getting being guaranteed the right to use it for peaceful purposes, so the US needs to demonstrate that it can take a step back. When it comes to action taken in response to the North giving up its nuclear capabilities, the US must make the North have faith by making it more clear that it is willing to normalize relations, provide economic assistance, and make a guarantee of security.

There was a lot of contact made between the participating nations during the recess, but there remain serious differences, to the point where they say "nothing has changed on paper." That means Korea's creative thinking and active negotiation role has become that much more important. We call on our delegation to the talks to do all it can to create an atmosphere in which the North and the US can make the best decisions.

The Hankyoreh, 13 September 2005.

[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]