Six-party talks aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear dispute ground into their third day in Beijing on Thursday with few signs of any progress as North Korea reportedly continued to insist it should be given civilian-use light-water reactors. An official connected to the talks said things were unclear and there was little hope of a breakthrough.
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| U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill leaves his hotel in Beijing on Thursday to attend a conference of top negotiators of the six-party talks, which aim to resolve the North Korean nuclear weapon issue./ Yonhap |
The U.S. and North Korea met for nearly two hours of bilateral talks on Wednesday but failed to agree on anything, the official said. There had been no retreat from entrenched positions from the two sides a day earlier.
U.S. chief negotiator Christopher Hill described Pyongyang’s continued calls for Washington and others to build it a light-water reactor as a "nonstarter." "The deal consists of really a lot of what (North Korea) should want -- security guarantees, a recognition package, access to international financial institutions, and a very serious energy package," but North Korea was brushing all this aside for the sake of keeping impossible demands alive .
The South Korean and Chinese delegations tried in vain to mediate. China asked the U.S. if there was some room for light-water reactors in the statement of principles the six nations are aiming for, but the U.S. reportedly demurred. The Japanese press reported China asked the parties to reach a conclusion by Sunday, which suggests Beijing sees little point in continuing talks under the present circumstances.
Hardliners in Washington and Tokyo say light-water reactors require enriched uranium, which could lead to the manufacture of nuclear warheads. If the talks have to be adjourned again, as they were for 37 days until Tuesday, it could cast the efficacy of the six-party framework in resolving the dispute in serious doubt. Since the last round of talks, the U.S. delegation has been saying, “After Christopher Hill, it's John Bolton,” shorthand for referring the matter to the UN Security Council. Bolton is regarded as the most hawkish of the Bush administration’s neocons. As UN ambassador, he handles his country’s duties in the Security Council. He has described North Korean leader Kim Jong-il as a "tyrannical dictator" who made North Korea a "hellish nightmare" ? a compliment Pyongyang returned by calling him "human scum" and a "bloodsucker."
(englishnews@chosun.com)