N Korea-US agts-condition for resumption of 6-way talks-paper.

6/11 Tass 88

PYONGYANG, November 6 (Itar-Tass) - Attainment of specific agreements
between North Korea and the United States on ways to improve the bilateral
relation is a preliminary condition for the resumption of the six-party
talks on the settlement of the nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula.
This view is expressed by observers of the Choson Sinbo newspaper that is
published by the League of Korean Citizens residing in Japan. It is
believed that this publication reflects Pyongyang's stance. "By the DPRK
logic, before starting multilateral consultations (on the nuclear problem)
it is necessary to attain results at talks with the United States," the
newspaper writes on Friday.
On Monday, the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea (North's official name) stressed that it will be possible to achieve
progress in denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula only when Pyongyang
and Washington officials "sit down at the negotiating table and start the
search for reasonable ways of settling the problem." "It can be said that
DPRK has determined a new strategy of dialogue based on the experience of
participation in the six-sided talks," Choson Sinbo writes.
At the same time the newspaper's observers warn that "if consultations
between DPRK and the United States do not yield results, then naturally,
the multilateral talks will not begin." It says that at present Pyongyang
expects Washington "to take response action." "The United States is in a
situation in which it is inadmissible to delay the problem's solution
further," Choson Sinbo notes. In the view of the newspaper's analysts,
"the current situation's keeping may cause a new aggravation." The
publication recalls that despite statements of DPRK and US officials on
their readiness for the dialogue, sanctions of the UN Security Council are
still in effect against Pyongyang. Besides, North Korea continues to
pursue the course for the strengthening of the "nuclear deterrence
forces." On Tuesday, North Korea announced that it has completed the
processing of 8,000 fuel rods extracted from the Yongbyon reactor and
"reached noticeable successes" in the production of weapons grade
plutonium.
On Monday, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)
stressed that without the establishment of trust and removal of hostility
in relations between Washington and Pyongyang consultations in the
six-sided format (involving also China, Russia, South Korea and Japan)
will not bring tangible results.
According to the Yonhap news agency of South Korea, North Korea on
Monday appealed again for the United States to engage in one-on-one
nuclear talks with Pyongyang and warned that it will "go its own way" if
Washington remains unresponsive.
The North's Foreign Ministry said it is time for the US to make a
decision as Pyongyang has already expressed its position on the
precondition for the resumption of the six-party talks. "As we have shown
generosity and expressed a position that we can have multilateral
negotiations after talks with the US, it is time for the US to make a
decision," an unidentified ministry spokesman told the country's KCNA news
agency. The North will "go its own way" if the US is still not ready for
talks, the spokesman added.
After months of provocations, highlighted by long-range rocket and
nuclear tests, the communist regime has sought to reach out to the outside
world and invited Stephen Bosworth, the US special representative for
North Korea policy, to visit Pyongyang, according to Yonhap.
It said the US side has been cautious, however, pressing the North to
return to the six-party talks. US officials said if Bosworth travels to
Pyongyang, it would be aimed solely at restarting the multilateral nuclear
talks, not for any substantial negotiations on North Korea's
denuclearisation.
A rare meeting last week (Oct 24) between Ri Gun, the North's deputy
nuclear envoy, and Sung Kim, the US special envoy on the six-way talks, in
New York and San Diego raised media speculation that the two sides were
fine-tuning conditions for Bosworth's visit to North Korea. Some
newspapers have said Bosworth is likely to visit Pyongyang within this
month, the agency reported.
But the North's Foreign Ministry played down the first official
contact between the two sides under the Obama administration. "The contact
was not a preliminary meeting for talks between North Korea and the United
States. So there was no discussion on substantial issues related to North
Korea-US dialogue," the spokesman said.
In late October, observers of the North Korean government's Minju
Choson official newspaper said in a publication that the United States is
still relying on force methods for the settlement of the "North Korean
problem." "The United States considers military threats and direct armed
interference "the most efficient and reliable approach" and the basis of
its strategy towards DPRK," the newspaper stressed. Pyongyang considers
the South Korean - US Navy joint manoeuvres in the Yellow Sea with the
participation of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George
Washington as manifestation of US "hostile intentions."
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