U.S. calls on N. Korea to return to 6-way talks for denuclearization: State Dept.

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Oct. 26 (Yonhap) -- The United States Monday called on North Korea to
return to six-party talks on ending its nuclear weapons programs.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly made the point while describing the meeting
that Sung Kim, U.S. special envoy for the six-party talks, had with Ri Gun,
director general of the North American affairs bureau of North Korea's Foreign
Ministry, in New York Friday.
"Ambassador Kim took the opportunity to once again lay out what our position is
on the way forward, with the ultimate goal of the complete denuclearization of
the Korean Peninsula, and that we believe that the best way forward on that is
through the resumption of the six-party talks," Kelly said.
Ri flew to New York Friday to attend seminars and meet with U.S. officials to
discuss the resumption of the six-party talks that involve the two Koreas, the
U.S., China, Japan and Russia.
Kim is also to attend the seminars in San Diego and New York, giving rise to
speculation that they will meet again on the sidelines to discuss preparations
for a visit to Pyongyang by Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special representative for
North Korea policy, for a breakthrough on the stalled nuclear negotiations.
"Ambassador Kim is now in La Jolla for this Track Two conference, which is
sponsored by the University of California, which is an annual conference," Kelly
said. "There are no plans for further bilateral meetings at this conference, but
I don't exclude that there won't be some side meetings with Mr. Ri Gun."
Ri was invited to the Northeast Asia Cooperative Dialogue (NEACD) at the
University of California, San Diego, set for two days until Tuesday and also a
seminar in New York hosted by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy
and the Korea Society Friday.
Some reports said that the U.S. wants North Korea to guarantee its return to the
six-party talks before sending Bosworth to Pyongyang. Also at issue is
Washington's demand that Bosworth meet with Kang Sok-joo, first vice foreign
minister, instead of Vice Foreign Minister and chief nuclear negotiator Kim
Kye-gwan while in Pyongyang, a source said.
North Korea has boycotted the six-party talks due to U.N. sanctions for its
nuclear and missile tests, but North Korean leader Kim Jong-il expressed his
willingness to come back to the talks when he met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao
earlier this month in Pyongyang.
Kim, however, linked the North's participation to the outcome of the anticipated
bilateral talks with the U.S., which has yet to make a concrete decision on
whether to send Bosworth to Pyongyang.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last week that the U.S. will not
lift sanctions on North Korea or normalize ties unless Pyongyang takes
irreversible steps toward denuclearization.
However, she added, "Within the framework of the six-party talks, we are prepared
to meet bilaterally with North Korea. But North Korea's return to the negotiating
table is not enough."
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)