U.S. won't switch to two-way talks with N. Korea: official

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 (Yonhap) -- The United States will refuse any attempt by
North Korea to shift towards bilateral dialogue with Washington and away from the
six-party disarmament talks, a senior U.S. official said Sunday.

"The North Koreans have their own reasons for wanting to talk bilaterally. They
would like to get out from the six-party framework and the (related) agreements,"
the official said, asking for anonymity. "We won't accept, but can talk to them
if it will help convince them to live up to their obligations."
In a phone conversation with Yonhap News Agency, the official dismissed media
reports that the Obama administration made a policy shift by announcing that it
is ready to talk to North Koreans bilaterally.
"The United States remains willing to meet bilaterally with North Korea," the
official said, but added, "The purpose would be to convince North Korea to take
the path to denuclearization and to work with all parties on the implementation
of the September 2005 Joint Statement."
That statement was signed by members of the six-party talks -- comprising the two
Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia -- and promised North Korea a package
of incentives in return for shutting down its nuclear program. Included in that
package were guarantees of massive economic aid, normalization of ties with
Washington and Tokyo, and a permanent peace treaty to replace the fragile
armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.
"This would not be new negotiations, not be a separate process, not be starting
over to try to get a new agreement on denuclearization," the official said.
Those remarks echoed comments made on Friday by Philip Crowley, assistant
secretary of state for public affairs.
"We are prepared to enter into a bilateral discussion with North Korea ... and
it's designed to convince North Korea to come back to the six-party process and
to take affirmative steps towards denuclearization," Crowley said. "If a
bilateral discussion can lead us back to a six-party process, we think that is a
legitimate means to a desirable end."
Crowley also said the White House will make a decision on whether to hold
bilateral talks with North Korea within the next couple of weeks.
The anonymous official said details on that possibility have yet to be filled in.
"Bosworth collected views from the other four (dialogue partners) about a US-NK
meeting -- timing, level, venue, content," the official said. "He's developing
next steps based on input, not yet made a decision."
Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, concluded
another trip to Asia last week, saying afterward: "The United States is willing
to engage with North Korea on a bilateral basis, and we are currently considering
how best to respond to a North Korean invitation for bilateral talks."
North Korea rejected a U.S. proposal to send Bosworth to Pyongyang in March amid
heightening tension over its imminent rocket launch. Following that event and the
North's second nuclear test, the U.N. slapped harsh sanctions on the North,
further angering its isolated regime.
But Pyongyang changed its tone by extending an invitation for talks in early
August when former U.S. President Bill Clinton visited the North Korean capital
and met with leader Kim Jong-il to win the release of two American journalists.
The official said that the U.S. will continue sanctions despite North Korea's
recent conciliatory moves.
"Bilateral talks are complementary with efforts by Ambassador Goldberg to
implement UNSCR 1874 that also prohibits North Korea from pursuing nukes,
reaffirms the September 2005 statement, and tells North Korea to return to
six-party talks," he said.
Philip Goldberg, who coordinates inter-agency policy on North Korea sanctions,
also recently concluded an Asian tour that included stops in Seoul, Tokyo and
Singapore, and pledged to push ahead with an arms embargo and financial sanctions
on the cash-strapped North. Arms sales are one of North Korea's major sources of
revenue.
"Six-party talks are a means, not an end. Irreversible steps to complete
denuclearization and fulfilling the September 2005 joint statement goals is the
end," the official said. "Consensus that bilateral talks with North Korea by the
United States or by any other six-party member are not a substitute for a
multilateral process. Each six-party member has a direct stake in the peaceful
resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue and an important role to play in any
settlement agreement."
The official also dismissed speculations that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton may meet with North Korean officials on the sidelines of the U.N. General
Assembly in New York later this month, but said she will meet with her
counterparts from the other parties to the six-way talks.
Talk of bilateral dialogue follows North Korea's announcement last week that it
has entered the final stages of enriching uranium, another path to making nuclear
weapons aside from processing plutonium.
hdh@yna.co.kr
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