ID :
33598
Tue, 12/02/2008 - 22:03
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/33598
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Saiki, Hill agree N. Korea pledge on sampling needed in 6-way paper
TOKYO, Dec. 2 Kyodo - The chief Japanese and U.S. nuclear negotiators said Tuesday they agreed that the six-party talks on denuclearizing North Korea should try to hammer out a document during the next round of discussions that commits Pyongyang to allowing inspectors to take samples from its nuclear facilities.
Akitaka Saiki, who heads the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian
Affairs Bureau, and Christopher Hill, U.S. assistant secretary of state for
East Asian and Pacific affairs, told reporters they also agreed that the two
countries should continue to work closely to that end.
''The six parties must reach a firm agreement on the framework and the methods
of verifying'' a declaration already submitted by North Korea on its nuclear
programs, Saiki said after his meeting with Hill in Tokyo.
''It is extremely important that the parties reach an agreement in writing that
will exclude any room for misunderstanding or distortion on issues such as how
to verify the declaration and the facilities and programs to be inspected,''
the Japanese diplomat added.
Hill echoed Saiki's view, saying, ''The important point to understand is that
when we get to verification we don't want misunderstandings, and the way to
clear up misunderstandings is to have things worked out in advance, and that's
what the protocol is all about.''
Saiki, Hill and their South Korean counterpart Kim Sook will hold trilateral
talks Wednesday, also in Tokyo, to seek common ground on taking samples from
the North's nuclear facilities as a means to verify Pyongyang's declaration.
The United States and North Korea, the key players in the six-nation talks that
also involve China and Russia, have clashed over the issue of taking samples.
Hill said he will discuss the sampling issue bilaterally with his North Korean
counterpart Kim Kye Gwan, the country's vice foreign minister, in Singapore
later this week, based on the results of the trilateral meeting with Saiki and
South Korea's Kim, who is special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and
security affairs of the Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry.
The chief delegates to the six-party talks are expected to hold their next
round of negotiations from next Monday in Beijing.
==Kyodo
Akitaka Saiki, who heads the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian
Affairs Bureau, and Christopher Hill, U.S. assistant secretary of state for
East Asian and Pacific affairs, told reporters they also agreed that the two
countries should continue to work closely to that end.
''The six parties must reach a firm agreement on the framework and the methods
of verifying'' a declaration already submitted by North Korea on its nuclear
programs, Saiki said after his meeting with Hill in Tokyo.
''It is extremely important that the parties reach an agreement in writing that
will exclude any room for misunderstanding or distortion on issues such as how
to verify the declaration and the facilities and programs to be inspected,''
the Japanese diplomat added.
Hill echoed Saiki's view, saying, ''The important point to understand is that
when we get to verification we don't want misunderstandings, and the way to
clear up misunderstandings is to have things worked out in advance, and that's
what the protocol is all about.''
Saiki, Hill and their South Korean counterpart Kim Sook will hold trilateral
talks Wednesday, also in Tokyo, to seek common ground on taking samples from
the North's nuclear facilities as a means to verify Pyongyang's declaration.
The United States and North Korea, the key players in the six-nation talks that
also involve China and Russia, have clashed over the issue of taking samples.
Hill said he will discuss the sampling issue bilaterally with his North Korean
counterpart Kim Kye Gwan, the country's vice foreign minister, in Singapore
later this week, based on the results of the trilateral meeting with Saiki and
South Korea's Kim, who is special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and
security affairs of the Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry.
The chief delegates to the six-party talks are expected to hold their next
round of negotiations from next Monday in Beijing.
==Kyodo
