The United States has delivered a de facto ultimatum to North Korea to rejoin the six-way talks on its nuclear program, as Seoul, Washington, and Beijing are engaged in brisk shuttle diplomacy to revive the moribund negotiations.
But North Korea has shown no signs of budging at all and reiterated its position that the U.S. should make a concession first.
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, made public on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she would visit Asia for "one last push" to coax Pyongyang back to the table in the coming weeks.
"This current situation isn't really acceptable," Rice said. "I suspect I will go to Asia sometime in the next month to six weeks, probably next six weeks or so, to take stock and see whether or not one last push to get the six-party talks back on can be made."
Her remarks, reflecting Washington's growing frustration over Pyongyang's recalcitrance, were seen as an ultimatum to the communist regime, which test-fired seven missiles in July and is now reported to be preparing for a nuclear test.
The U.S. is apparently moving to impose additional sanctions on the North, a move opposed by South Korea and China.
South Korea bought some time for persuading its communist neighbor when President Roh Moo-hyun agreed in his summit with U.S. President George W. Bush to pursue a "common and broad approach" to bring the North to the six-party talks.
The concept remains vague, but it is understood to contain some fresh carrots for the North.
South Korea's chief nuclear envoy Chun Yung-woo is set to return home Thursday morning from a weeklong trip to New York and Washington, where he strived to work out related details, officials in Seoul said. The results of Chun's visit are still under wraps.
Chun also plans to meet with his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei in Seoul Friday for discussions on how to resume the nuclear talks.
"Vice Foreign Minister Wu will likely come to Seoul Thursday night, but his exact schedule is still being discussed," an official at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul said.
In New York, however, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Su-hon made it clear again that his country will never come to the table while the U.S. tries to squeeze Pyongyang financially.
"It is quite preposterous that the DPRK, under the groundless U.S. sanctions, takes part in the talks on discussing its own nuclear abandonment," Choe said in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly. DPRK is the acronym for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He called it a "principle that cannot tolerate even the slightest concession."
A year ago, the U.S. Treasury slapped restrictions on Banco Delta Asia in Macau, effectively freezing US$24 million believed to be slush funds of the North Korean ruling elite.
In protest, Pyongyang has been staying away from the disarmament talks that also involve South Korea and four global powers - the U.S., China, Russia, and Japan.
Seoul, Sept. 27 (Yonhap News)
Washington delivers ultimatum to Pyongyang |
