Clinton urges N. Korea not to launch missile, proposes missile talks

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, March 11 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Wednesday urged North Korea not to launch a ballistic missile, proposing to hold
talks on North Korea's missile program as well as six-party talks on ending the
North's nuclear ambitions.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi,
Clinton stressed the "need to have a conversation about missiles."
"And it's not -- it wasn't in the six-party talks," she said. "We would like to
see it be part of the discussion with North Korea."
Clinton stopped short of saying what the United States would do if North Korea
actually launches the missile, which the North claims to be a rocket to orbit a
communications satellite.
"I think that our partners in the six-party talks are concerned about the missile
launch," she said. "They are willing to address it, if it does happen, with us,
in a variety of ways, including the Security Council. But I don't want to, you
know, talk about hypotheticals."
Clinton noted that five parties of the six-party talks have been outspoken in
their opposition to the North Koreans' missile launch and have attempted to
dissuade North Korea from proceeding.
U.S. officials have been threatening to bring any North Korean launch of a
missile or satellite to the United Nations Security Council for additional
sanctions, saying the launch of a satellite involves the same technology as a
ballistic missile launch, which is banned under a resolution adopted in 2006.
"We believe that the missile launch, for whatever purpose it is stated to be
aimed at, is in violation of the Security Council resolution," Clinton said. "We
are still working to try to dissuade the North Koreans."
North Korea claims it is planning to launch a satellite into orbit as part of its
space program, warning that any interception would trigger war, including
destruction of U.S. or Japanese interceptors.
The 2006 resolution, adopted after North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile,
was diluted greatly by China, which made sure that any sanctions to be applied by
U.N. member states are on a voluntary basis rather than mandatory.
The top U.S. diplomat, meanwhile, said she does not want the missile issue to
divert attention from the six-party talks.
"But it is important to recognize that the North Koreans entered into
obligations, regarding denuclearization, that we intend to try to hold them to,"
she said. "And that is something we're going to do, regardless of what happens
with their -- with what they may or may not launch in the future."
Clinton said she "would like to see the six-party talks resume at the earliest
possible moment."
"Let's not confuse the two," she said. "The goal of denuclearizing the Korean
peninsula remains a paramount goal, and the six-party-talk framework should be
restarted so that we can begin to work on that."
The nuclear talks were deadlocked in December when North Korea refused to agree
to a verification protocol for its nuclear facilities, although a six-party deal
calls for the North's denuclearization in return for a massive economic aid,
diplomatic recognition by Washington and its allies and a permanent peace regime
on the Korean Peninsula to replace a fragile armistice that ended the 1950-53
Korean War.
Stephen Bosworth, special representative for North Korea, just concluded a
three-nation Asian tour to discuss resumption of the multilateral nuclear talks,
but neither visited Pyongyang nor met with North Korean officials.
"As you know, he was not invited to go to North Korea, which we regret," Clinton
said. "He was prepared to go on a moment's notice to begin discussions with the
North Koreans, as I have been doing with all of our six-party partners."
hdh@yna.co.kr
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