ID :
81104
Tue, 09/22/2009 - 20:58
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/81104
The shortlink copeid
U.S. hints at plans for bilateral contact with N. Korea
By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 (Yonhap) -- The United States hinted Monday it may soon have
one-on-one contact with North Korea to persuade it to rejoin six-nation talks on
ending its nuclear weapons program
"(T)here is a recognition that should the United States in the near future decide
to have some bilateral interactions with North Korea, they are as part of a
process to get back to a six-party framework," Kurt Campbell, assistant secretary
of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told reporters in New York,
according to a transcript released by the State Department.
Campbell was discussing the outcome of an hour-long meeting between South Korean
Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the
sidelines of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
"No final decision has been taken at this juncture about the next steps and any
prospective diplomacy with North Korea," Campbell said, but added South Korea's
underlying message "was that they were prepared for the United States to engage
in careful bilateral interactions with North Korea."
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il extended an invitation to Stephen Bosworth,
special representative for North Korea policy, when former U.S. President Bill
Clinton visited Pyongyang early last month to win the release of two American
journalists held for illegal entry.
U.S. officials have said a decision on Bosworth's possible trip to Pyongyang will
be made after U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Clinton meet in
New York with their counterparts from the other members of the six-party talks.
Secretary Clinton, however, will not meet with North Korean officials in New
York, the officials said. North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Pak Gil-yon is
attending the U.N. General Assembly.
Some analysts believe Bosworth may visit Pyongyang in late October or early
November, after Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao attends a ceremony in Pyongyang
in early October to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of
diplomatic ties between the two communist allies.
Kim is expected to meet Wen to give his opinion on the six-party talks, which
China has been hosting since their inception in 2003.
In a departure from its vow to permanently abandon the six-party talks due to
international sanctions imposed on the North earlier this year for its nuclear
and missile tests, Kim was reported to have told a visiting Chinese official, Dai
Bingguo, Friday that Pyongyang will engage in bilateral and multilateral talks to
resolve the standoff over its nuclear programs.
"We think over the course of the next several weeks, there's going to be a series
of very high-level engagements between North Korea and China," Campbell said. "I
think during these meetings, we expect China to take a fairly clear line about
their desire to see North Korea resume interactions as part of a six-party
framework."
U.S. officials attribute the North's recent conciliatory overtures -- which
followed months of provocations, including nuclear detonation and missile
launches -- to the U.N. sanctions taking effect on the impoverished communist
state.
Analysts say Obama has not yet made a decision on a trip to Pyongyang by Bosworth
due to conflicting opinions within his administration, with some supporting
active engagement and others calling for more time to press the North harder.
The North's provocations earlier this year were seen as having represented
political instability in the North caused by Kim's reported ill health.
U.S. officials have for months discussed a possible collapse of the North Korean
regime, with Kim rumored to be preparing to transfer power to his third and
youngest son, Jong-un.
Kim's three-hour meeting with former President Clinton in Pyongyang early last
month, however, quelled suspicions about the regime's viability.
Obama said Sunday that Kim is healthy and in firm control of state affairs.
"I think President Clinton's assessment was that (Kim is) pretty healthy and in
control," he said. "There's no doubt that this is somebody who, you know, I think
for a while people thought was slipping away. He's reasserted himself. It does
appear ... He was more concerned about succession when he was sick, maybe less so
now that he's well."
Nonetheless, Campbell still underscored the need for international cooperation in
coping with possible contingencies.
"We've agreed privately among several of states that we need very close
coordination and dialogue about developments inside North Korea," he said. "It's
an uncertain time. We appear to be witnessing some issues associated with future
transition, uncertain health of Kim Jong-il. So, quiet dialogue and discussion
about developments there is essential."
Reports said that China, North Korea's closest ally and biggest benefactor,
refused the U.S. proposal to quietly discuss the possibility of a regime collapse
in the North, in order not to provoke its communist neighbor.
On humanitarian aid to the North, Campbell said that South Korea and the U.S.
agreed on the need to "verify delivery, and the necessity of meeting various
guidelines associated with the distribution of that food, medicine, and aid,"
although they concurred "we separate humanitarian assistance from economic
assistance."
Yu and Secretary Clinton also discussed the continuation of the Group of 20
economic summit in Pittsburgh, the third of its kind since the outbreak of the
global recession last fall, according to Campbell.
"I think the South Korean friends underscored their commitment to the G20 and
their desire to play an important role in that venue going forward," he said.
South Korea, who hopes to host the next G20 summit early next year, has said the
forum is important in shaping the global economy.
On South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's proposal of a "grand bargain" to
provide massive economic assistance to North Korea in return for the North's
nuclear dismantlement, Campbell said, "I would imagine what the president was
underscoring was that if North Korea makes a serious commitment, a responsible
commitment to all the principles that they've underscored in 2005 and 2007, then
the international community, not just the United States, but South Korea, Japan
and others, would be prepared to put together a package of things."
The six-party deals signed in 2005 and 2007 call for a hefty economic aid,
diplomatic recognition and establishment of a permanent peace regime on the
Korean Peninsula to replace the fragile armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean
War.
"The problem is we're at the very, very early stages of this," Campbell said.
"And what we're trying to get is the North Koreans to make small, but fundamental
steps so that we can at least take some early actions going forth."
Campbell hoped Presidents Lee and Obama would continue to dialogue "in the coming
weeks and months."
Obama is scheduling an Asian trip in mid-November to coincide with his attendance
in the annual Asia-Pacific Economic cooperation forum in Singapore. His itinerary
may include be Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo and Jakarta, according to reports.
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)
WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 (Yonhap) -- The United States hinted Monday it may soon have
one-on-one contact with North Korea to persuade it to rejoin six-nation talks on
ending its nuclear weapons program
"(T)here is a recognition that should the United States in the near future decide
to have some bilateral interactions with North Korea, they are as part of a
process to get back to a six-party framework," Kurt Campbell, assistant secretary
of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told reporters in New York,
according to a transcript released by the State Department.
Campbell was discussing the outcome of an hour-long meeting between South Korean
Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the
sidelines of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
"No final decision has been taken at this juncture about the next steps and any
prospective diplomacy with North Korea," Campbell said, but added South Korea's
underlying message "was that they were prepared for the United States to engage
in careful bilateral interactions with North Korea."
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il extended an invitation to Stephen Bosworth,
special representative for North Korea policy, when former U.S. President Bill
Clinton visited Pyongyang early last month to win the release of two American
journalists held for illegal entry.
U.S. officials have said a decision on Bosworth's possible trip to Pyongyang will
be made after U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Clinton meet in
New York with their counterparts from the other members of the six-party talks.
Secretary Clinton, however, will not meet with North Korean officials in New
York, the officials said. North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Pak Gil-yon is
attending the U.N. General Assembly.
Some analysts believe Bosworth may visit Pyongyang in late October or early
November, after Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao attends a ceremony in Pyongyang
in early October to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of
diplomatic ties between the two communist allies.
Kim is expected to meet Wen to give his opinion on the six-party talks, which
China has been hosting since their inception in 2003.
In a departure from its vow to permanently abandon the six-party talks due to
international sanctions imposed on the North earlier this year for its nuclear
and missile tests, Kim was reported to have told a visiting Chinese official, Dai
Bingguo, Friday that Pyongyang will engage in bilateral and multilateral talks to
resolve the standoff over its nuclear programs.
"We think over the course of the next several weeks, there's going to be a series
of very high-level engagements between North Korea and China," Campbell said. "I
think during these meetings, we expect China to take a fairly clear line about
their desire to see North Korea resume interactions as part of a six-party
framework."
U.S. officials attribute the North's recent conciliatory overtures -- which
followed months of provocations, including nuclear detonation and missile
launches -- to the U.N. sanctions taking effect on the impoverished communist
state.
Analysts say Obama has not yet made a decision on a trip to Pyongyang by Bosworth
due to conflicting opinions within his administration, with some supporting
active engagement and others calling for more time to press the North harder.
The North's provocations earlier this year were seen as having represented
political instability in the North caused by Kim's reported ill health.
U.S. officials have for months discussed a possible collapse of the North Korean
regime, with Kim rumored to be preparing to transfer power to his third and
youngest son, Jong-un.
Kim's three-hour meeting with former President Clinton in Pyongyang early last
month, however, quelled suspicions about the regime's viability.
Obama said Sunday that Kim is healthy and in firm control of state affairs.
"I think President Clinton's assessment was that (Kim is) pretty healthy and in
control," he said. "There's no doubt that this is somebody who, you know, I think
for a while people thought was slipping away. He's reasserted himself. It does
appear ... He was more concerned about succession when he was sick, maybe less so
now that he's well."
Nonetheless, Campbell still underscored the need for international cooperation in
coping with possible contingencies.
"We've agreed privately among several of states that we need very close
coordination and dialogue about developments inside North Korea," he said. "It's
an uncertain time. We appear to be witnessing some issues associated with future
transition, uncertain health of Kim Jong-il. So, quiet dialogue and discussion
about developments there is essential."
Reports said that China, North Korea's closest ally and biggest benefactor,
refused the U.S. proposal to quietly discuss the possibility of a regime collapse
in the North, in order not to provoke its communist neighbor.
On humanitarian aid to the North, Campbell said that South Korea and the U.S.
agreed on the need to "verify delivery, and the necessity of meeting various
guidelines associated with the distribution of that food, medicine, and aid,"
although they concurred "we separate humanitarian assistance from economic
assistance."
Yu and Secretary Clinton also discussed the continuation of the Group of 20
economic summit in Pittsburgh, the third of its kind since the outbreak of the
global recession last fall, according to Campbell.
"I think the South Korean friends underscored their commitment to the G20 and
their desire to play an important role in that venue going forward," he said.
South Korea, who hopes to host the next G20 summit early next year, has said the
forum is important in shaping the global economy.
On South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's proposal of a "grand bargain" to
provide massive economic assistance to North Korea in return for the North's
nuclear dismantlement, Campbell said, "I would imagine what the president was
underscoring was that if North Korea makes a serious commitment, a responsible
commitment to all the principles that they've underscored in 2005 and 2007, then
the international community, not just the United States, but South Korea, Japan
and others, would be prepared to put together a package of things."
The six-party deals signed in 2005 and 2007 call for a hefty economic aid,
diplomatic recognition and establishment of a permanent peace regime on the
Korean Peninsula to replace the fragile armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean
War.
"The problem is we're at the very, very early stages of this," Campbell said.
"And what we're trying to get is the North Koreans to make small, but fundamental
steps so that we can at least take some early actions going forth."
Campbell hoped Presidents Lee and Obama would continue to dialogue "in the coming
weeks and months."
Obama is scheduling an Asian trip in mid-November to coincide with his attendance
in the annual Asia-Pacific Economic cooperation forum in Singapore. His itinerary
may include be Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo and Jakarta, according to reports.
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)
