Goldberg to begin Asian tour next week to discuss sanctions on N. Korea: State Dept.

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. delegation will visit South Korea and
three other Asian countries next week to discuss how to effectively implement
international sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear and missile tests, the
State Department said Thursday.

Philip Goldberg, coordinator for the implementation of U.N. sanctions on North
Korea, said that he will lead an interagency delegation, consisting of officials
of the Treasury Department, the National Security Council and the Department of
Defense, to Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore and Bangkok.
"We're working closely with allies and partners to do two things: to achieve
denuclearization of North Korea through irreversible steps; and to implement U.N.
security resolutions on North Korea," he said. "In all of these countries, we'll
share thoughts, ideas and our impressions on inspections of air, sea and land
cargo. We'll review the financial provisions of the resolutions, and we'll share
information, when possible, on specific cases."
U.N. Security Council resolutions adopted after North Korea's recent nuclear and
missile tests imposed financial sanctions and an overall arms embargo, and allow
cargo interdictions on the high seas to prevent the proliferation of weapons of
mass destruction.
The most recent resolution was adopted in June after North Korea's second nuclear
test May 25. The first was in 2006.
"Singapore and Thailand are key members of ASEAN. And both countries are
important maritime countries, as well as commercial and financial centers,"
Goldberg said. "Korea and Japan are key allies in Northeast Asia and members of
the six-party talks on North Korea."
The official said that Washington will continue sanctioning Pyongyang until it
returns to the six-party talks and takes substantive measures for its
denuclearization.
"The resolutions are the resolutions, and they remain in effect until those kinds
of irreversible steps are taken to deal with the denuclearization issue and the
missile proliferation, and all of the issues dealt with in the resolutions," he
said.
North Korea has said it will boycott the multilateral nuclear talks for good and
demanded a bilateral dialogue with the U.S., which insists on face-to-face talks
only within the six-party framework.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton's recent trip to Pyongyang to win the release
of two American journalists spawned growing optimism for improved bilateral
relations, but U.S. officials said the trip was a private, humanitarian mission.
Clinton met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il for more than three hours,
during which Kim proposed better relations with Washington, according to U.S.
officials who debriefed Clinton's entourage.
Goldberg said that he is not visiting Beijing this time, but hoped to go there
"as early as later this month."
"We've agreed on a follow-up trip to China with our Chinese colleagues," he said.
"We're still working on dates."
Goldberg visited China, Malaysia, Russia and the United Nations last month on a
similar mission.
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)