ID :
90298
Wed, 11/18/2009 - 10:26
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/90298
The shortlink copeid
S. Korean FM expects Pyongyang-Washington dialogue to bear fruit
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan expressed hope Tuesday that the upcoming talks between North Korea and the United States will lead to the resumption of the long-stalled process of denuclearizing the communist neighbor.
"The government expects the North Korea-U.S. contact to serve as a chance for
positively contributing to the resolution of the North Korean nuclear problem
through the quick resumption of the six-way talks," Yu said at a monthly
briefing, referring to the suspended nuclear negotiations also involving China,
Russia, and Japan.
The U.S. announced earlier this month that it will send Stephen Bosworth, special
representative for North Korean policy, to Pyongyang within this year to coax
leaders there to return to the six-party talks.
Bosworth's trip, whose date has not been revealed yet, would set the stage for
the first direct talks between the North and the U.S. under the Obama
administration.
Yu said Bosworth is expected to avoid dates around Thanksgiving Day on Nov. 26
and Christmas Day, also taking into account his personal schedule.
The minister also pointed out there was no sign of Pyongyang changing its
decades-old pursuit of nuclear weapons while bent on one-on-one negotiations with
Washington. The secretive regime announced earlier this month that it has
completed the reprocessing of 8,000 spent fuel rods at its main
plutonium-producing facilities in Yongbyon.
"South Korea will maintain close consultations with the U.S." as Washington
pushes for dialogue with North Korea, Yu said.
He said North Korea will again be high on the agenda during a summit between
President Lee Myung-bak and his American counterpart Barack Obama on Thursday in
Seoul.
"The leaders of the two nations are expected to exchange in-depth opinions about
the North Korean nuclear issue and the general policy on North Korea," Yu said.
They will likely reaffirm their close partnership on the goal of denuclearizing
the North in a "complete and verifiable way," he added.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan expressed hope Tuesday that the upcoming talks between North Korea and the United States will lead to the resumption of the long-stalled process of denuclearizing the communist neighbor.
"The government expects the North Korea-U.S. contact to serve as a chance for
positively contributing to the resolution of the North Korean nuclear problem
through the quick resumption of the six-way talks," Yu said at a monthly
briefing, referring to the suspended nuclear negotiations also involving China,
Russia, and Japan.
The U.S. announced earlier this month that it will send Stephen Bosworth, special
representative for North Korean policy, to Pyongyang within this year to coax
leaders there to return to the six-party talks.
Bosworth's trip, whose date has not been revealed yet, would set the stage for
the first direct talks between the North and the U.S. under the Obama
administration.
Yu said Bosworth is expected to avoid dates around Thanksgiving Day on Nov. 26
and Christmas Day, also taking into account his personal schedule.
The minister also pointed out there was no sign of Pyongyang changing its
decades-old pursuit of nuclear weapons while bent on one-on-one negotiations with
Washington. The secretive regime announced earlier this month that it has
completed the reprocessing of 8,000 spent fuel rods at its main
plutonium-producing facilities in Yongbyon.
"South Korea will maintain close consultations with the U.S." as Washington
pushes for dialogue with North Korea, Yu said.
He said North Korea will again be high on the agenda during a summit between
President Lee Myung-bak and his American counterpart Barack Obama on Thursday in
Seoul.
"The leaders of the two nations are expected to exchange in-depth opinions about
the North Korean nuclear issue and the general policy on North Korea," Yu said.
They will likely reaffirm their close partnership on the goal of denuclearizing
the North in a "complete and verifiable way," he added.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
