U.S. to have bilateral talks with N. Korea only in six-party context: State Dept.

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, July 30 (Yonhap) -- The United States Thursday dismissed calls by
North Korea to hold bilateral talks to resolve the standoff over North Korea's
nuclear and missile programs, repeating that it will have bilateral negotiations
only within in the six-party framework.

"As you know, our approach on North Korea is we feel very strongly that we have
to engage North Korea multilaterally through the six-party mechanism," State
Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in a daily news briefing.
Kelly was responding to the remarks U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon made
Wednesday suggesting Washington engage Pyongyang bilaterally to resolve the
deadlock over the six-party talks on ending the North's nuclear ambitions.
"What we've been very clear about our position on any kind of bilateral talks, we
feel very strongly that any talks that we have have to be in the context of the
six-party talks, in context of the -- in a multilateral context. And that
position hasn't changed," he said.
Ban on Wednesday supported the multilateral format but added, "If necessary,
there should be some other forms of dialogue... That I would like to support and
welcome."
North Korea has said it will boycott for good the six-party talks involving the
two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia, citing U.S. "hostile policy" and
U.N. sanctions following its recent missile and nuclear tests.
The North's Foreign Ministry Monday issued a statement saying there is "a
specific and reserved form of dialogue that can address the current situation,"
an apparent reference to bilateral talks between Pyongyang and Washington.
In a joint statement to wrap up the two-day strategic dialogue here, the U.S. and
China Tuesday "affirmed the importance of the Six-Party Talks and continuing
efforts to achieve denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and maintaining peace
and stability of the Peninsula and Northeast Asia."
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently urged the North to return to the
six-party talks and pledged not to accept "half measures" or to reward
provocations. She also warned North Korea "will face international isolation and
the unrelenting pressure of global sanctions" until it agrees to
denuclearization.
North Korea, however, dismissed as "nonsense" Clinton's assurance that "full
normalization of relations, a permanent peace regime, and significant energy and
economic assistance are all possible in the context of full and verifiable
denuclearization."
hdh@yna.co.kr
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