Biden: U.S. will not countenance N. Korea's provocation-dialogue cycle

By Lee Chi-dong WASHINGTON, July 18 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Vice President Joe Biden called Thursday on North Korea to demonstrate that it is willing to hold "genuine" talks on its nuclear program. "Now North Korea is calling for dialogue," he said in a speech here on Washington's strategy on the Asia-Pacific region. "As my mother would say, 'I've seen this movie before,'" he quipped. "We've been there before. But we are ready, we are ready, but only, only if North Korea's prepared to engage in genuine negotiations." He emphasized Washington would not countenance Pyongyang's pattern of provoking a crisis and then insisting they be rewarded in order to cease and desist from the actions. "We've been there before, only to find that once they've gotten the space or the aid they need, they return to the same provocative, dangerous behavior and continue their nuclear march," Biden said at a forum hosted by the Center for American Progress. His remarks represent the Barack Obama administration's firm stance to test North Korea's commitment to denuclearization before any talks resume. After months of provocations and threats earlier this year, North Korea has shifted to a peace offensive. It has proposed direct high-level talks with the U.S. regardless of time and venue. But the U.S. said the North first should take some steps towards denuclearization such as the return of international inspectors to its main nuclear site at Yongbyon. U.S. officials apparently believe they have been fooled by the North Koreans into agreeing to some political and economic incentives, mostly recently the so-called Leap Day Deal. In February last year, the U.S. agreed to provide 240,000 tons of food aid to North Korea in return for its promise to suspend uranium enrichment and impose a moratorium on long-range rocket tests. Two months later, however, the North fired what it claims to be a space rocket. "Make no mistake about it, though; we are open to engaging with any nation that's prepared to live up to its international obligations," Biden said. "That's what we did in Burma, and I think most would say we're already seeing some tangible benefits from that engagement." The vice president spoke highly of Chinese President Xi Jinping's statement that his country places a priority on achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. "We welcome that firm assertion," he said. Xi had two days of meetings with President Barack Obama in California last month, during which they agreed on the goal of a denuclearized Korea. lcd@yna.co.kr leechidong@gmail.com (END)