ID :
26360
Fri, 10/24/2008 - 18:49
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/26360
The shortlink copeid
U.S. mum on reported defection of senior N. Korean diplomat
By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 (Yonhap) -- The United States declined Thursday to confirm or deny a report that a senior North Korean diplomat has defected and seeks shelter in the United States.
"We have no information on that," said Melanie Higgins, spokesperson for the
State Department's East Asian Affairs Bureau.
Reports said that the defection of a senior North Korean diplomat led the
Pyongyang regime to order North Korean diplomats abroad to stay closer to their
missions.
Earlier reports had it that North Korean diplomats were kept at their missions
apparently due to an imminent important announcement by Pyongyang on the North
Korean leadership.
Kim Jong-il has been rumored to have suffered a stroke and undergone major brain
surgery as he has been absent from public view since Aug. 14.
State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood said his government has not yet
secured any evidence of Kim's reported health failure.
Other U.S. officials also say they have no indication that Kim Jong-il is not in
charge, adding they have no problem in dealing with North Korea at the government
level despite rumors of Kim's illness.
China is believed to have detailed information on its communist ally, but no
Chinese officials would talk about Kim's health because they think any talk of a
foreign head of state is impolite, the officials said.
On the timing of the next round of six-party talks on ending North Korea's
nuclear ambitions, Wood said, "We don't have a meeting scheduled yet. We're
waiting for the Chinese to get back to us on that."
U.S. and South Korean officials expect the talks to resume in early November, a
delay due to scheduling problems rather than substance.
Washington removed Pyongyang from its terrorism blacklist two weeks ago in return
for Pyongyang's agreement to allow access to its nuclear sites by international
inspectors.
U.S. hardliners denounce the Bush administration for accepting an agreement that
allows access to undeclared sites only by "mutual consent," saying the
administration has made too many concessions to achieve a foreign policy victory
in its waning months.
Proponents say the agreement is meaningful in that it paved the way for the next
administration to start again from the baseline where the North's
plutonium-producing reactor is disabled.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 (Yonhap) -- The United States declined Thursday to confirm or deny a report that a senior North Korean diplomat has defected and seeks shelter in the United States.
"We have no information on that," said Melanie Higgins, spokesperson for the
State Department's East Asian Affairs Bureau.
Reports said that the defection of a senior North Korean diplomat led the
Pyongyang regime to order North Korean diplomats abroad to stay closer to their
missions.
Earlier reports had it that North Korean diplomats were kept at their missions
apparently due to an imminent important announcement by Pyongyang on the North
Korean leadership.
Kim Jong-il has been rumored to have suffered a stroke and undergone major brain
surgery as he has been absent from public view since Aug. 14.
State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood said his government has not yet
secured any evidence of Kim's reported health failure.
Other U.S. officials also say they have no indication that Kim Jong-il is not in
charge, adding they have no problem in dealing with North Korea at the government
level despite rumors of Kim's illness.
China is believed to have detailed information on its communist ally, but no
Chinese officials would talk about Kim's health because they think any talk of a
foreign head of state is impolite, the officials said.
On the timing of the next round of six-party talks on ending North Korea's
nuclear ambitions, Wood said, "We don't have a meeting scheduled yet. We're
waiting for the Chinese to get back to us on that."
U.S. and South Korean officials expect the talks to resume in early November, a
delay due to scheduling problems rather than substance.
Washington removed Pyongyang from its terrorism blacklist two weeks ago in return
for Pyongyang's agreement to allow access to its nuclear sites by international
inspectors.
U.S. hardliners denounce the Bush administration for accepting an agreement that
allows access to undeclared sites only by "mutual consent," saying the
administration has made too many concessions to achieve a foreign policy victory
in its waning months.
Proponents say the agreement is meaningful in that it paved the way for the next
administration to start again from the baseline where the North's
plutonium-producing reactor is disabled.
