U.S. should 'front-load' future nuclear deal with N. Korea: think tank

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Nov. 11 (Yonhap) -- The United States should press for a "front-loaded"
denuclearization deal with North Korea when the communist state returns to
negotiations that have centered on incremental approaches, a leading U.S. think
tank said this week.
"Back-loading makes agreements easier to attain, but harder to maintain through
the difficult later stages," the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) said
in a report seen on Wednesday. The Washington-based group was co-founded by U.S.
Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.
"Negotiate for a front-loaded agreement, which includes significant early
actions," it said, adding the U.S should "strongly consider walking away" if the
North refuses to conform.
"While the action-for-action concept seems sensible, its implementation has been
disappointing," CNAS said in the report based on interviews with over 50 ranking
U.S. and South Korean officials and observers.
North Korea, which conducted its second nuclear test in May this year, has in
recent months retracted its boycott of nuclear negotiations and signaled
willingness to return to the talks with the U.S., South Korea, Russia, China and
Japan.
The six-nation talks had led to a 2007 deal in which the North agreed to the
dismantlement of its nuclear program, beginning with the disablement of three of
its atomic facilities in return for fuel aid and steps toward normalized
relations with the U.S.
But the accord left out North Korea's uranium enrichment program for further
negotiations.
"Because of the deep and abiding suspicions that permeate U.S.-DPRK (North Korea)
relations, each party is reluctant to fulfill its end of the deal," CNAS said.
"The nature of the steps each side wants the other to take exacerbates this
crisis of confidence."
The report -- co-authored by Abraham Denmark, Zachary Hosford and Michael Zubrow
-- comes as the U.S. announced this week its point man on North Korea will fly to
Pyongyang by the end of the year to jump-start the six-nation talks.
CNAS proposed that the U.S. offer security and political arrangements up front
for major concessions by the North, such as the handing of its uranium enrichment
program.
"Because America's most significants steps are more reversible than those it
desires from Pyongyang, the United States can more easily withdraw its
concessions if the DPRK refuses to implement its side of the agreement," it said.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said in September that a "grand bargain"
should be pursued, calling for a "one-shot deal" that can put an end to the
sometimes derailed and sometimes on-track pattern of negotiations with North
Korea.
A senior Pentagon official said last month that "the old approach of trying in
small increments" is seriously flawed.
"Limited agreements are costly and risky," CNAS said. "Without fundamental
changes to this patter, or the U.S.-DPRK relationship, it is unlikely Pyongyang
will eliminate its entire nuclear program."
samkim@yna.co.kr
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