ID :
151003
Wed, 11/24/2010 - 10:36
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/151003
The shortlink copeid
6-party talks not to resume while North enriches uranium: Bosworth+
TOKYO, Nov. 23 Kyodo -
The U.S. special representative for North Korea policy said Tuesday in Tokyo
that the stalled six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing the North will not
resume while Pyongyang is engaged in a uranium enrichment program.
Stephen Bosworth, who is on the second leg of his hurriedly arranged
three-nation Asian trip, told reporters, ''Clearly, we do not contemplate
resuming negotiations while active programs are under way or while there is a
possibility that North Koreans will test another nuclear device or test a
missile.''
The envoy is visiting Asia to consult with three partners of the six-way
dialogue, following a report Saturday posted online by U.S. nuclear expert
Siegfried Hecker that he had seen ''more than a thousand centrifuges'' in
operation at a secret uranium enrichment facility during his recent visit to
North Korea.
Bosworth, who stopped in the Japanese capital after visiting Seoul during his
Asian trip since Sunday, arrived Tuesday afternoon in Beijing where he is set
to consult with Chinese government officials.
China, which chairs the six-party talks also involving the two Koreas, Japan,
the United States and Russia that have been stalled since December 2008, is
seeking an early resumption of the multilateral discussions, while Japan and
South Korea share the United States' view.
Before heading to the Chinese capital, Bosworth said the newly revealed uranium
enrichment by the North is ''a very serious development'' but ''not a crisis.''
He made the comments before North Korea fired dozens of rounds of artillery
onto a South Korean island Tuesday.
He also said, ''It does not, however, in our view call for reassessment of our
entire strategy toward the DPRK and its nuclear programs.'' DPRK is the acronym
for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
''We are not calling into question our overall approach to this,'' the U.S.
representative said of the six-way dialogue based on multilateral efforts and
close coordination. ''But we are very concerned as to the sincerity of the
DPRK's approach to this.''
''We believe that North Koreans are in violation of a substantial number of
international agreements that they have entered into and are in violation of
U.N. Security Council resolutions,'' he said. The U.N. resolutions were adopted
to impose sanctions on Pyongyang following its nuclear and missile tests.
Bosworth said the United States wants to ''maintain the existing sanctions''
until North Korea makes ''significant progress'' in its denuclearization
efforts.
He also said the U.S. government had been in close contact with Hecker before
he left for North Korea and after he departed from the country. The envoy also
said in addition to covering South Korea, Japan and China in his Asia trip,
Washington is ''also reaching out to consult with Russia.''
==Kyodo
2010-11-23 23:12:01