ID :
34352
Sun, 12/07/2008 - 08:02
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/34352
The shortlink copeid
S. Korea's nuclear envoy 'not very optimistic' about upcoming six-party talks
SEOUL, Dec. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's chief nuclear envoy said Sunday that he was "not very optimistic" as he departed for Beijing for the upcoming round of six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea.
"On the prospects of the six-party talks, we will have to see, but I am not very
optimistic," Kim Sook said before boarding a plane at the Incheon International
Airport.
Chief nuclear envoys from South and North Korea, the United States, China, Japan
and Russia are set to begin a fresh round of the sporadic nuclear talks on
Monday, trying to find ways to implement an aid-for-denuclearization deal.
North Korea was promised 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil or the equivalent by
its negotiating partners in the six-party talks in late 2007 in exchange for
disabling its nuclear facilities.
About half of the aid has been delivered.
The key issue at the upcoming talks is whether North Korea will allow
international inspectors to take samples from its nuclear sites. Pyongyang has
refused the sampling, saying that was not part of an original deal, while
Washington, Seoul and Tokyo say it is necessary for verification.
Washington wants to produce a written protocol for verifying North Korea's
nuclear activities.
Kim said the talks' agenda will be the written protocol, a time plan for
Pyongyang's denuclearization and energy aid and how to implement the third stage
of the denuclearization process, which is verifying and dismantling North Korea's
nuclear facilities.
"This round of the talks will play an important role in wrapping up the second
stage of the denuclearization process and connecting it to the third stage," Kim
said.
North Korea on Saturday said it will not engage in dialogue with Japan, blasting
Tokyo for refusing to provide its share of promised energy for Pyongyang.
"We will neither treat Japan as a party to the talks nor deal with it even if it
impudently appears in the conference room," a spokesman for North Korean Foreign
Ministry was quoted as saying by the North's Korean Central News Agency.
"On the prospects of the six-party talks, we will have to see, but I am not very
optimistic," Kim Sook said before boarding a plane at the Incheon International
Airport.
Chief nuclear envoys from South and North Korea, the United States, China, Japan
and Russia are set to begin a fresh round of the sporadic nuclear talks on
Monday, trying to find ways to implement an aid-for-denuclearization deal.
North Korea was promised 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil or the equivalent by
its negotiating partners in the six-party talks in late 2007 in exchange for
disabling its nuclear facilities.
About half of the aid has been delivered.
The key issue at the upcoming talks is whether North Korea will allow
international inspectors to take samples from its nuclear sites. Pyongyang has
refused the sampling, saying that was not part of an original deal, while
Washington, Seoul and Tokyo say it is necessary for verification.
Washington wants to produce a written protocol for verifying North Korea's
nuclear activities.
Kim said the talks' agenda will be the written protocol, a time plan for
Pyongyang's denuclearization and energy aid and how to implement the third stage
of the denuclearization process, which is verifying and dismantling North Korea's
nuclear facilities.
"This round of the talks will play an important role in wrapping up the second
stage of the denuclearization process and connecting it to the third stage," Kim
said.
North Korea on Saturday said it will not engage in dialogue with Japan, blasting
Tokyo for refusing to provide its share of promised energy for Pyongyang.
"We will neither treat Japan as a party to the talks nor deal with it even if it
impudently appears in the conference room," a spokesman for North Korean Foreign
Ministry was quoted as saying by the North's Korean Central News Agency.
