Six-party negotiations on Korean nuclear problem may be resumed soon

MOSCOW, July 23 (Itar-Tass) - The latest development in relations
between North and South Koreas show that the six-party negotiations on
North Korea's nuclear problem, involving Russia, China, the United States,
Japan and both Koreas, may be resumed in foreseeable future.
Thus, foreign ministers from the two Koreas, KIM Sung-hwan of South
Korea and PAK Ui Chun of North Korea, had a brief meeting on Saturday on
the sidelines of the summit of the Association of East Asian Nations
(ASEAN) on Indonesia's Bali Island. This was the first such meeting since
2008.
Earlier, top-ranking officials from foreign ministries of the two
countries who are responsible for nuclear problems, Ri Yong-ho, Vice
Marshal of the North Korean People's Army Ri Yong-ho, who was reappointed
as the North Korean chief negotiator at the negotiations for the nuclear
disarmament on the Korean Peninsula, and adviser of the South Korean
foreign minister Wi Sung-lac met also on the summit's sidelines.
Note should be made that until now Pyongyang has refused to discuss
its nuclear program with Seoul. South Korean diplomats believe that Ri
Yong-ho's appointment as North Korea's representative at the talks may be
a manifestation of Pyongyang's striving to improve relations with
Washington. Ri Yong-ho was North Korea's ambassador to Great Britain,
Belgium, Luxemburg, and Ireland from 2003 to 2007.
After the meeting with the South Korean official, Ri made a statement
that hit the headlines across the globe. "During the bilateral meeting we
agreed to pool efforts to resume the six-party talks the soonest
possible," he said. In his words, both countries "confirmed their
intentions" to fulfill the 2005 agreement for North Korea's nuclear
disarmament. This agreement envisages North Korea to abandon the plans to
develop the country's nuclear program in a swap for security guarantees to
North Korea from the world community and for relief supplies. No less
notable are his words about the atmosphere of the Bali meeting. According
to the North Korean official, the talks were held "in a friendly and open
manner." His South Korean vis-a-vis shared this opinion and said the
consultations were "fruitful."
The radical change in relations between Pyongyang and Seoul came quite
in time. Not long before the historical Bali meeting between the two
negotiators, Washington made another categorical statement. U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell said
the United States opposed the idea of resuming the six-party talks until
the two Koreas normalize their relations.
Bearing all this in mind, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who
is participating in the Russia-ASEAN ministerial meeting and an annual
ASEAN regional forum for security in the Asia-Pacific Region, said on
Friday there are all grounds to hope that the talks might be resumed very
soon. On the same day, he met with his North Korean counterpart Pak Ui
Chun. Naturally, they focused on the problem of nuclear security on the
Korean Peninsula.
The six-party negotiations involving Russia, China, the United
States, Japan and both Koreas on the nuclear problem of the Korean
Peninsula are held with long intervals in Beijing since August 27, 2003.
North Korea quitted the sixth round of negotiations on September 30, 2007.