South Korea and China agreed Wednesday to include Australia, Canada and Malaysia, if necessary, in a multilateral meeting on North Korea's missile and nuclear programs, a senior Seoul delegate said.
The agreement came at one-on-one talks between South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon and his Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing in Kuala Lumpur, the venue of a series of regional security conferences this week, he added.
In particular, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) brings together top officials from Asian and Western nations including the U.S., China, Russia, Japan and the two Koreas, which are the participants in the Beijing-based six-way talks on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
Ban told reporters after the half-an-hour bilateral talks that, "We agreed on the need for the participants in the six-party talks to meet in a six-way or other formats on the sidelines of the ARF."
Seoul and Beijing shared the view that the best option is an informal gathering of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her counterparts from the other five nations, according to Ban.
Earlier this week, Washington formally asked Pyongyang to join the six-way meeting in the Malaysian capital. The request was relayed through the North's mission to the United Nations in New York.
Still, hopes remain low that North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun will take part in a six-way gathering, as U.S. officials continue to turn deaf ears to North Korea's demand for bilateral talks outside of a multilateral meeting.
South Korea has proposed a meeting of more than six parties, which it says is likely to save face for the North Koreans who are boycotting a six-way format.
"Australia, Canada and Malaysia, host of the ARF, can be added to the list," a South Korean delegate to the security forum said.
"Of course, it would be the best if North Korea joins it. But even if it does not, we will push for such a multilateral meeting."
The suggestion is an answer to China's reluctance to have five-way talks that exclude North Korea. China is worried about the possibility of making Pyongyang feel more isolated and undermining the formal six-way nuclear talks.
Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Dawei said late Monday that a session of the six-way talks had been provisionally scheduled for Friday in Kuala Lumpur.
"The time currently being planned is the afternoon of the 28th, but it is still under negotiation," he was quoted as telling reporters. "At the moment, all sides are still making efforts but whether it will happen or not, nobody can tell yet."
China is expected to first try to persuade the North Korean foreign minister to participate in a six-way meeting, and then propose various other options, diplomatic sources said.
Beijing and Pyongyang are scheduled to have a bilateral foreign ministers' meeting on Friday, they added.
Kuala Lumpur, July 26 (Yonhap News)
Seoul, Beijing rule out five-way meeting without Pyongyang |
