Posted on 04/08/2005 6:53:39 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Friday April 8, 5:26 PM
N. Korea, China remained apart over Hu's visit: sources
(Kyodo) _ North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok Ju and Chinese officials remained apart in their recent talks in Beijing over the question of when Chinese President Hu Jintao's first trip to the North should take place, diplomatic sources said Friday. While Kang asked Chinese officials that the visit be realized soon, they were reluctant to set a date, saying it is difficult to do so when no breakthrough has been reached on resuming the stalled six-way talks on the North's nuclear programs, according to the sources.
Kang was in Beijing from last Saturday to Tuesday and met with senior Chinese officials including Deputy Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo and Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei.
The comment by Chinese officials during Kang's visit marked some backtracking from China's position over Hu's visit since late March, when North Korean Premier Pak Pong Ju visited China, according to one of the sources.
At the time of Pak's visit, Chinese officials had said it would consider the invitation by North Korea, according to the source.
Whether China and North Korea can set the schedule for Hu's visit is being watched by observers, who say that China may use the trip as an opportunity to convince the North to rejoin the six-way talks.
During his stay in Beijing, Kang also made a formal request to China to change the framework of the six-way talks into disarmament negotiations, according to the diplomatic sources.
North Korea said through its official media on March 31 that the multilateral talks on its nuclear ambitions should evolve into disarmament negotiations, now that Pyongyang has declared it has nuclear weapons.
It was the first time for Pyongyang to make a formal request for the change. China is the host of the six-way talks, which also involve Japan, the two Koreas, Russia and the United States.
The request, however, appears to be unacceptable to China. A senior Chinese diplomat said Thursday that Beijing sees no need to change the framework of the six-way talks.
"The intention, task and format of the six-way talks were decided on by six parties through discussions," Cui Tiankai, director general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Asian Affairs Department, told a group of Japanese reporters.
"There is no need to change it," he said.
Three rounds of the six-way talks have been held since 2003, but a fourth round failed to take place in September after North Korea refused to attend, citing what it calls a "hostile" U.S. attitude toward the North.
This is rather a transparent scheme for N. Koreans to hold onto their nuclear arsenal
Ping!
Hu's on first!
Thag
No... Who's the President of China?
This is the Chicoms first foray into international politics and that little Il guy is making them look like fools. Opps! I forgot that other little country that kicked their asses. North Viet Nam. They want to be respected in the world and be considered a superpower when they can't even bring one of their own into line. If they think they are going to use N Korea's unproven nuclear weapons claims as a diversion while they attack Taiwan, I can't wait to see what the motivated guys in Taipei do to them!
This is the Chicoms first foray into international politics and that little Il guy is making them look like fools. Opps! I forgot that other little country that kicked their asses. North Viet Nam. They want to be respected in the world and be considered a superpower when they can't even bring one of their own into line. If they think they are going to use N Korea's unproven nuclear weapons claims as a diversion while they attack Taiwan, I can't wait to see what the motivated guys in Taipei do to them!
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