ID :
45725
Sun, 02/15/2009 - 21:19
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/45725
The shortlink copeid
U.S. has never accepted N. Korea as nuclear power: Hill
(ATTN: UPDATES with S. Korean envoy's comments, Hill's additional remarks, Clinton's
speech, other details)
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Feb. 15 (Yonhap) -- The top American and South Korean nuclear envoys
stressed Sunday that their countries do not regard North Korea as a nuclear
power, countering growing speculation that Washington might have lowered the bar
in dealing with the communist state's nuclear ambitions.
They also urged North Korea to return to the bargaining table to discuss ways to
implement a series of six-way disarmament deals in 2005 and 2007.
"We do not and have never accepted North Korea as a nuclear weapon state I want
to make that very clear," outgoing Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill
told reporters after meeting with Seoul's top nuclear negotiator Kim Sook in
Seoul.
He arrived here earlier in the day for what he described as the last trip here as
Washington's representative to the on-again and off-again six-way talks also
joined by China, Russia, and Japan.
Hill said the main purpose of his trip was to prepare for a regional tour by
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton later this week, in which the North Korean
nuclear issue will be a major topic of discussions.
The Barack Obama administration has yet to chart a concrete strategy on Pyongyang.
But Washington's primary goal on the North Korean nuclear program has been thrown
into question since the U.S. Joint Forces Command in Hawaii was found late last
year to have categorized North Korea as a nuclear power along with China, India,
Pakistan, and Russia.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in a recent contribution to the journal
Foreign Affairs that "North Korea has built several bombs."
Many said the U.S. might have shifted its focus from the dismantlement of the
North's nuclear program to nonproliferation, although the U.S. government has
played down the report and comments as just part of a "military contingency plan"
without any political and diplomatic implications.
Hill urged North Korea to fulfill its commitment under the landmark six-nation
deal signed Sept. 19 2005 under which North Korea should dismantle all of its
nuclear programs in return for economic assistance and political incentives.
"I think what needs to be done ... is that the Sept. 19 2005 Joint Statement
needs to be fulfilled and the DPRK (North Korea) needs to get on with this and
complete the denuclearization," Hill said.
"We have had interruptions and interruptions that have slowed this down too
much," he said, when asked whether he is satisfied with what he has done since he
took the post four years ago.
The six-way talks produced a couple of follow-up agreements in 2007 but the
negotiations are now stalled as North Korea has rejected the U.S. proposal to
inspect its nuclear program which it declared last June.
"It was a pretty tough assignment. I think there will be some very confident
people who will follow me on this and I hope they can make some progress," Hill
said. U.S. media reported that Stephen Bosworth, a former U.S. ambassador to
South Korea, will succeed Hill.
Standing next to the U.S. official, the South's envoy Kim Sook said he is unaware
of any sign that the Obama administration will grant earlier-than-expected
political incentives to Pyongyang.
In her first public speech as Washington's top diplomat, Clinton said last week
that if North Korea is genuinely prepared to completely and verifiably eliminate
their nuclear weapons program, the Obama administration will be willing to
normalize bilateral relations, replace the peninsula's long-standing armistice
agreements with a permanent peace treaty and assists in meeting the energy and
other economic needs of the North Korean people."
Kim said Clinton's comments do not constitute any change from Washington's
previous stance that if North Korea dismantle its nuclear program, the U.S. will
take various steps on an action-for-action principle, he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Kim gave Hill a plaque in a show of gratitude for his work with South
Korea.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
speech, other details)
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Feb. 15 (Yonhap) -- The top American and South Korean nuclear envoys
stressed Sunday that their countries do not regard North Korea as a nuclear
power, countering growing speculation that Washington might have lowered the bar
in dealing with the communist state's nuclear ambitions.
They also urged North Korea to return to the bargaining table to discuss ways to
implement a series of six-way disarmament deals in 2005 and 2007.
"We do not and have never accepted North Korea as a nuclear weapon state I want
to make that very clear," outgoing Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill
told reporters after meeting with Seoul's top nuclear negotiator Kim Sook in
Seoul.
He arrived here earlier in the day for what he described as the last trip here as
Washington's representative to the on-again and off-again six-way talks also
joined by China, Russia, and Japan.
Hill said the main purpose of his trip was to prepare for a regional tour by
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton later this week, in which the North Korean
nuclear issue will be a major topic of discussions.
The Barack Obama administration has yet to chart a concrete strategy on Pyongyang.
But Washington's primary goal on the North Korean nuclear program has been thrown
into question since the U.S. Joint Forces Command in Hawaii was found late last
year to have categorized North Korea as a nuclear power along with China, India,
Pakistan, and Russia.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in a recent contribution to the journal
Foreign Affairs that "North Korea has built several bombs."
Many said the U.S. might have shifted its focus from the dismantlement of the
North's nuclear program to nonproliferation, although the U.S. government has
played down the report and comments as just part of a "military contingency plan"
without any political and diplomatic implications.
Hill urged North Korea to fulfill its commitment under the landmark six-nation
deal signed Sept. 19 2005 under which North Korea should dismantle all of its
nuclear programs in return for economic assistance and political incentives.
"I think what needs to be done ... is that the Sept. 19 2005 Joint Statement
needs to be fulfilled and the DPRK (North Korea) needs to get on with this and
complete the denuclearization," Hill said.
"We have had interruptions and interruptions that have slowed this down too
much," he said, when asked whether he is satisfied with what he has done since he
took the post four years ago.
The six-way talks produced a couple of follow-up agreements in 2007 but the
negotiations are now stalled as North Korea has rejected the U.S. proposal to
inspect its nuclear program which it declared last June.
"It was a pretty tough assignment. I think there will be some very confident
people who will follow me on this and I hope they can make some progress," Hill
said. U.S. media reported that Stephen Bosworth, a former U.S. ambassador to
South Korea, will succeed Hill.
Standing next to the U.S. official, the South's envoy Kim Sook said he is unaware
of any sign that the Obama administration will grant earlier-than-expected
political incentives to Pyongyang.
In her first public speech as Washington's top diplomat, Clinton said last week
that if North Korea is genuinely prepared to completely and verifiably eliminate
their nuclear weapons program, the Obama administration will be willing to
normalize bilateral relations, replace the peninsula's long-standing armistice
agreements with a permanent peace treaty and assists in meeting the energy and
other economic needs of the North Korean people."
Kim said Clinton's comments do not constitute any change from Washington's
previous stance that if North Korea dismantle its nuclear program, the U.S. will
take various steps on an action-for-action principle, he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Kim gave Hill a plaque in a show of gratitude for his work with South
Korea.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
