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| Thursday, 26 February 2004 |
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US, N.Korea hold their positions as six-party talks open in China BEIJING, Wednesday (AFP,Reuters) Six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program got underway with Pyongyang and Washington showing little signs of backing down from their hardline positions. After clasping hands together for a group photograph, the six delegates sat themselves around a hexagonal table and were given two minutes for opening remarks in front of television cameras. While North Korea's chief delegate Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan said he was prepared to be flexible, he insisted that his party would be sticking to its "principles". "We will stick to the consistent position of our government, stick to our principles, but be flexible and cooperate in this meeting," Kim said at Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. US envoy James Kelly was equally adamant in his address, reiterating his call for North Korea to completely dismantle its plutonium and uranium-based nuclear programs. Kelly said Washington wanted to see the dismantling of the North Korean nuclear programs for plutonium and uranium weapons completely, irreversably and in a verifiable way. Washington has long insisted on agreement from North Korea for a complete, irreversible and verifiable dismantling of its weapons programs before the United States offers the economic and energy aid and security guarantees that Pyongyang wants. In an angry diatribe Tuesday, the North Korea government again denied it had a uranium-based program in violation of a 1994 nuclear freeze accord, a key US claim that sparked the crisis in October 2002. Russia's chief delegate Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov appareared to sum up the atmosphere when he said: "This issue cannot be solved in one attempt. We need a long time, and we need all parties to show a flexible attitude." Meanwhile the United States restated its position on Wednesday that it will not reward North Korea for meeting its international nuclear obligations as teams from the two countries joined talks in Beijing on the crisis. "The United States will not provide North Korea with rewards for complying with its international obligations. North Korea's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons will only lead to its further isolation and is against its long-term interests," a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said, quoting a State Department dispatch. "North Korea's best hope is to embrace the opportunity presented by the six-party talks and chart a new course, one that will lead to better relations with its neighbours and the international community, as well as a better future for its people." Meanwhile in delicate diplomatic manoeuvring, Japan avoided direct criticism of North Korea for its reluctance to resolve the issue of Japanese abducted by Pyongyang at the start of six-party nuclear talks on Wednesday. In a brief statement at the opening session of the talks on ending North Korea's nuclear ambitions, Japan's chief negotiator made only a veiled reference to the abduction issue, the hottest topic between the two Asian neighbours that have no diplomatic ties. Mitoji Yabunaka repeated that Japan would not establish diplomatic ties with North Korea unless "outstanding issues" were resolved. "I would like to make it clear that Japan remains committed to normalising relations with North Korea after resolving outstanding issues between Japan and North Korea," he said. North Korea has repeatedly said any attempt by Japan to raise the abduction issue at the nultilateral forum would disrupt the crucial talks involving the United States, China, the two Koreas, Russia and Japan. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il said at a 2002 summit with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi that Pyongyang had kidnapped 13 Japanese in the 1970s and 1980s to help train spies. Five returned home to Japan a month after that summit. But a potential thaw in relations never materialised after the five refused to return to North Korea. North Korea, however, offered unofficially last December to send to Japan the children of the abductees. |
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