.DPRK should fulfil intl obligations before resuming six-party talks.

12/9 Tass 9

WASHINGTON, September 12 (Itar-Tass) - The Pyongyang authorities
should at first fulfil its international obligations before restarting the
six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear programme, said on Saturday
Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, speaking at the International
Strategic Research Institute in Geneva. According to the deputy secretary,
the US is interested in a specific result rather than talks for the sake
of talks.
The US should receive specific evidence that the North Korea is ready
and wants to return to the negotiating table for talks and that it
seriously aims at fulfilling its obligations within the joint statement of
September 2005, he said.
The document records Pyongyang's obligation to abandon all nuclear
weapons and to stop all existing nuclear programmes as well as to return
to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and IAEA security measures.
The US had good talks not only with South Korean and Japanese
partners, but also with China, Steinberg continued. He added that US
officials had spent some time in talks with North Korean representatives,
that it was important to find an efficient way for forward movement rather
than to conduct talks for the sake of talks.
According to the deputy state secretary, to resume the dialogue,
having in mind grounds for doubts of its success, means to undermine
confidence in the entire process.
The US imposed new sanctions on North Korea last month. The Treasury
circulated additional lists of organisations and physical persons of that
Asian country, whose assets will be frozen in connection with their
complicity in missile and nuclear programmes. These lists include four
physical persons, three state companies and five government establishments.
-0-bur/kud


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