ID :
43203
Fri, 01/30/2009 - 05:20
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/43203
The shortlink copeid
S. Korea, Japan discuss ways to advance talks on N. Korea nuke
SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- Top South Korean and Japanese nuclear negotiators on Thursday discussed ways to advance the stalled six-way talks on ending the North Korean nuclear program, officials here said.
Seoul's envoy to the talks Kim Sook and his counterpart Akitaka Saiki had a
90-minute luncheon meeting in Seoul.
"They had a wide-ranging exchange of opinion on the six-way talks," foreign
ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said.
Another senior ministry official told reporters that Kim and Saiki reaffirmed
their view on the effectiveness of the six-way talks as a framework for
denuclearizing the North.
"The two sides also shared the view that it is important to have close
consultation on the direction of the talks as early as possible after the U.S.
names officials to take charge of the nuclear issue," the official said during a
background briefing on condition of anonymity.
Saiki, the head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs
Bureau, arrived here earlier in the day for a two-day stay during which he will
also attend an annual meeting of Japanese envoys, the officials added. Japan has
consulates in Busan and Jeju Island in addition to its embassy in Seoul.
The ministry spokesman also warned against trying to prematurely predict the
future direction of the talks. The last round in December fell apart amid
disputes over ways to verify Pyongyang's nuclear program.
"We will have to wait and see," he said.
North Korea and the U.S. recently exchanged positive messages on the nuclear
talks which also involve South Korea, China, Russia, and Japan.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il said in a meeting last week with Wang Jiarui,
head of the Chinese Communist Party's International Department, that he is still
committed to denuclearization through the multilateral talks.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton immediately responded by saying that the
six-party talks are "essential" to ending North Korea's nuclear weapons
ambitions.
"With respect to North Korea, the six-party talks are essential," she said
Tuesday in her first news briefing, adding the multilateral talks have been "a
useful forum for participants to deal with the challenge of North Korea's nuclear
program and the other issues that are part of the North Korean agenda."
Russian Vice Foreign Minister Aleksei Borodavkin, who heads Moscow's delegation
to the six-way talks, met Thursday with North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun
in Pyongyang, according to the North's official news agency.
The Korean Central News Agency did not provide details.
The Russian official's trip seems to be intended to discuss holding a working
group on a Northeast Asian peace regime, which is expected to open around Feb. 19
in Moscow, officials here said.
Russia sent invitations to the other members of the six-way talks, and South Korea
expressed its intention to attend.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
Seoul's envoy to the talks Kim Sook and his counterpart Akitaka Saiki had a
90-minute luncheon meeting in Seoul.
"They had a wide-ranging exchange of opinion on the six-way talks," foreign
ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said.
Another senior ministry official told reporters that Kim and Saiki reaffirmed
their view on the effectiveness of the six-way talks as a framework for
denuclearizing the North.
"The two sides also shared the view that it is important to have close
consultation on the direction of the talks as early as possible after the U.S.
names officials to take charge of the nuclear issue," the official said during a
background briefing on condition of anonymity.
Saiki, the head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs
Bureau, arrived here earlier in the day for a two-day stay during which he will
also attend an annual meeting of Japanese envoys, the officials added. Japan has
consulates in Busan and Jeju Island in addition to its embassy in Seoul.
The ministry spokesman also warned against trying to prematurely predict the
future direction of the talks. The last round in December fell apart amid
disputes over ways to verify Pyongyang's nuclear program.
"We will have to wait and see," he said.
North Korea and the U.S. recently exchanged positive messages on the nuclear
talks which also involve South Korea, China, Russia, and Japan.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il said in a meeting last week with Wang Jiarui,
head of the Chinese Communist Party's International Department, that he is still
committed to denuclearization through the multilateral talks.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton immediately responded by saying that the
six-party talks are "essential" to ending North Korea's nuclear weapons
ambitions.
"With respect to North Korea, the six-party talks are essential," she said
Tuesday in her first news briefing, adding the multilateral talks have been "a
useful forum for participants to deal with the challenge of North Korea's nuclear
program and the other issues that are part of the North Korean agenda."
Russian Vice Foreign Minister Aleksei Borodavkin, who heads Moscow's delegation
to the six-way talks, met Thursday with North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun
in Pyongyang, according to the North's official news agency.
The Korean Central News Agency did not provide details.
The Russian official's trip seems to be intended to discuss holding a working
group on a Northeast Asian peace regime, which is expected to open around Feb. 19
in Moscow, officials here said.
Russia sent invitations to the other members of the six-way talks, and South Korea
expressed its intention to attend.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
