North Korea's chief nuclear envoy warned Saturday that there would be no headway in the upcoming nuclear disarmament talks unless the U.S. changes its "hostile" policy and drops financial sanctions against the communist country.
"The most important issue (at the talks) can be resolved only when the U.S. shifts its hostile policy on us into a policy of co-existence," Kim told reporters upon arrival in Beijing. "It is difficult to be optimistic (on the talks' outcome) yet."
Kim said North Korea will keep its nuclear programs as long as "deterrent capability is needed."
Kim flew to Beijing for a new round of six-party talks on his country's nuclear program due to open on Monday after a 13-month hiatus. The talks also involve South Korea, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia.
Kim, who also serves as vice foreign minister, said he was prepared to discuss the real substance of the nuclear row on the condition that the U.S. lifts financial sanctions imposed in September last year over Pyongyang.
"We're prepared to discuss other promises contained in the Sept. 19 joint statement. Its precondition is for the sanctions imposed on us to be lifted. I do not yet know whether the U.S. is prepared to do that," he said.
Sources said that Kim would start his diplomatic activity here with a one-on-one meeting with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei on Saturday night.
The Sept. 19, 2005 agreement calls for North Korea to abandon its nuclear program in return for security guarantees and economic aid. But the North boycotted further talks in anger over U.S. financial sanctions imposed over its alleged currency counterfeiting and other illegal activities.
U.S. and South Korean officials hope that this round of talks will make measurable progress on the basis of the first-ever concrete agreement reached in more than four years of negotiations.
Host China said this round of talks will be open-ended to ensure progress but U.S. and South Korean officials said it would break for Christmas and resume in January.
The talks restart in a new political environment created by the North's nuclear weapons test on Oct. 9 and U.S. President George W. Bush's loss of control over the Congress to the Democrats in mid-term elections. Bush is under increasing domestic pressure to resolve the nuclear issue through bilateral negotiations with North Korea.
Although Kim's remarks in Beijing were not new, they were seen by many as signaling another round of tough negotiations.
The U.S. has suggested that a "working group" be set up in the context of the six-party talks to address the North's concern about the sanctions issue. Chun Yung-woo, South Korea's lead delegate, also flew to Beijing for a possible meeting with his North Korean counterpart later in the day and said the upcoming talks would be difficult.
"I expect this round of talks to be difficult as the situation has worsened enough for the last 13 months," he told reporters.
"But I also view it as a good opportunity to turn the tables as there is consensus (among the parties concerned) on the need for substantial progress."
Progress will depend on the "political will" of each delegate, he added.
The chief U.S. envoy Christopher Hill, currently in Tokyo for discussions with his Japanese counterpart Kenichiro Sasae, is expected to come to Beijing on Sunday, along with the chief Russian envoy, Alexander Alexeyev.
Hill said he would meet with his North Korean counterpart on Sunday.
"I believe I will be meeting with Kim Kye-gwan bilaterally tomorrow," he said. "I look forward to seeing him tomorrow and exchanging reviews with him." Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon discussed the North Korean nuclear issue by telephone on Saturday morning, and agreed to closely cooperate to resolve the crisis through diplomacy, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said.
There were hopeful sings in the U.S., however, that next week's talks may get off to a good start.
"I am cautiously optimistic that there is the chance for good progress," Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico said in a statement after meeting in his office with North Korea's deputy U.N. mission chief Kim Myong-gil and First Secretary Song Se-il.
The White House gave a positive assessment of Richardson's meeting with the North Koreans. Richardson, regarded as a Democratic presidential hopeful, has good contacts with North Korean leaders.
Various diplomatic sources said that the U.S. may offer to guarantee in writing North Korea's security if Pyongyang agrees to take concrete actions to implement the joint statement.
As the first sign of "good faith," the U.S. wants the North to halt its graphite-moderated reactor at its main nuclear complex in Yongbyon and re-allow U.N. nuclear inspections, declare all of its nuclear-related programs and shut down the underground site of its nuclear test, they said.
Beijing, Dec. 16 (Yonhap News)
N. Korean envoy urges U.S. to lift sanctions |
