U.S. will only talk to N. Korea within 6-party framework: Bosworth

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout; CORRECTS to Tuesday when Sung Kim will return to Seoul at
bottom)
By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. special envoy on North Korea said Sunday his
country will only talk with the North within a multilateral framework,
reaffirming that Washington's firm position has not changed.
Stephen Bosworth, who was visiting Seoul when he made the comment, called the
North's recent claim that it has entered the final stage of uranium enrichment "a
subject of concern" but added it was not surprising.
"We are prepared to engage bilaterally as well with the North Koreans but only
within the context of six-party talks," Bosworth said after holding three days of
consultations with South Korean officials.
In a letter to the U.N. Security Council on Thursday, North Korea said its
uranium enrichment program -- a second route to nuclear weapons development,
alongside plutonium enrichment -- has entered into its "completion phase." The
North also said it was weaponizing plutonium by reprocessing spent fuel rods.
The letter came in response to the U.N. council's inquiry about sanctions it had
imposed over the North's May nuclear test. Those measures limited cash flows into
the country and banned cargo shipments related to its nuclear and missile
programs.
"Any indication of the nuclear program on the part of North Korea whether it's
HEU (highly enriched uranium) or anything else is a subject of concern, and one
which we have to address," Bosworth said.
But Friday's North Korean statement "is not the first we've heard of HEU and may
not be the last," he added.
Despite North Korea's recent conciliatory gestures toward the international
community, the U.S. sees no fundamental change in the prolonged standoff over the
North's nuclear drive, Bosworth said.
In August, North Korea freed detained American and South Korean citizens, lifted
inter-Korean traffic restrictions and restored sagging joint business ventures.
"No, I don't think there's been any fundamental change," Bosworth said.
"We are very gratified that young American journalists have been released," he
said, "But our primary interest remains the denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula, and we continue to (support) opportunities to reinitiate this
process."
A diplomatic source in Seoul said the U.S. maintains its "tough" stance on North
Korea.
"The major view in Washington is now that Pyongyang's movements have no relation
to the nuclear issue," the source said, requesting anonymity.
Bosworth said he was "very pleased" with the consultations he had with his South
Korean partners, including Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and chief nuclear envoy
Wi Sung-lac.
"We are also agreed that because of the nature of this issue, and the regional
implications and its global implications, this is a problem that requires
multilateral solutions," he said.
Bosworth came here on the second leg of a three-nation Asian tour that began in
Beijing and will take him to Tokyo later in the day. His primary task is
discussing ways to resume the six-party talks and the implementation of U.N.
Security Council Resolution 1874, imposed after North Korea's nuclear test in
May.
The six-party talks, which were last held in December, involve the two Koreas,
the U.S., China, Japan and Russia.
In Japan, Bosworth is likely to get acquainted with incoming Japanese government
officials who will deal with North Korea, diplomatic sources said.
Before leaving Beijing for Seoul on Friday, Bosworth said he has "no plans at the
moment" to visit North Korea, but he confirmed that Pyongyang had extended an
invitation to him.
Sources here say Bosworth may visit North Korea later this year, and that he is
discussing preconditions for the trip with his regional partners during this
trip.
In the letter to the U.N., North Korea said, "We are prepared for both dialogue
and sanctions."
Sung Kim, the U.S. chief envoy to the six-party talks who is currently
accompanying Bosworth, will return to Seoul on Tuesday to hold talks with Grigory
Logvinov, Russia's deputy envoy to the multilateral forum, Seoul officials said.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)