Nuclear Talks with NK

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2003
Nuclear Talks with NK
5
Wed, 02-25-2004 - 1:07pm
On the eve of North Korea nuclear talk in Beijing, popular wisdom says Pyongyang is on the brink of economic collapse and must give in. Far from it, say two experts who argue that the United States' position is vague and that the US has lost dominance over the negotiating agenda.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/FB25Dg06.html

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/FB25Dg05.html

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-18-2000
Thu, 02-26-2004 - 10:54am

Has the US been at all the

 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2003
Thu, 02-26-2004 - 11:07am
<>

It was GWB who included NK in an axis of evil. This brought about the tensions. NK wanted to talk directly with the US, but GWB wanted to include the other four, SK, China, Japan and Russia. When negotiating in Asia you really need to understand the culture, GWB, of course, hasn't a clue. No the talks aren't progressing, but I keep reading conflicting reports about NK nuclear capability. Recently, have noticed that SK is not as receptive to re-unification as it was last year.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2003
Sat, 02-28-2004 - 12:49pm
How to day we didn't do much in five different ways. I didn't see SK's comment, which by saying nothing says it all.

Key quotes: Korea nuclear talks





Delegates agreed to meet again

Following are key quotes from participants in the six-party talks in Beijing on North Korea's nuclear programme.

The four days of talks ended without a major breakthrough on Saturday. China, Japan, North and South Korea, Russia and the US took part.



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"The parties expressed their commitment to a nuclear-weapons-free Korean peninsula, and to resolving the nuclear issue peacefully through dialogue in a spirit of mutual respect and consultations on an equal basis, so as to maintain peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and the region at large."

"Through the talks, while differences remained, the parties enhanced their understanding of each others positions."

From the jointly agreed "Chairman's Statement" issued at the talks' conclusion


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North Korea

"The United States did not show the right posture for negotiations... There is a fundamental difference in attitude between the US delegation and the DPRK delegation, a fundamental difference between the US government and the DPRK government...

"To acquire foreign currency, we have sold missiles to Pakistan and received cash. But as to heavy enriched uranium (HEU), which we don't even need, there were no deals with Pakistan. I want to make clear that we do not have enriched uranium, that we do not have the facilities, scientists or experts related to HEU."

"A nuclear freeze means giving up activities related to nuclear weapons. We cannot give up nuclear development for civilian use."

"We cannot come out with a substantive and positive result from the six-party talks. You can say prospects of the six-party talks lie entirely with the US side. It would be a grave mistake if the United States thinks that there is unlimited time."

Kim Kye-gwan, North Korea's vice foreign minister and chief delegate to the talks, at a news conference in North Korea's embassy after the talks



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China

"A series of beneficial results was achieved in the talks. Particularly, consensuses were reached including on the next round of talks and on setting up a working group, which is of major significance to promote the process of the peace talks... The road is long and there will be a few bumps in the road. But time is on our side. And time is on the side of peace."


"Differences, even serious differences, still exist. I do not think people will expect that all problems will be completely solved through one or two rounds of talks. Good things do not always happen easily. But the will of the people is as heavy as a mountain."


"There is a Chinese saying that goes: If you work at it hard enough, you can grind an iron rod into a needle. It is hoped that various parties would, while on the basis of recognizing differences, gradually narrow differences and expand consensus with a constructive stance, and jointly take a path towards solving problems through dialogue."

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, from a speech at the closing ceremony of the six-party talks



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Russia

"Moscow considers the negotiations useful and has expressed a readiness to do everything that is needed to solve the nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula, and ensuring the safety of North Korea and normal conditions for its socio-economic development."

Russian Foreign Ministry statement

"Of course, to be honest, some flexibility could have been shown by the US in response to the North Korean freeze proposal, but this is the position of that country and we respect it, just as we respect the positions of the other parties to the talks. It means the time has not yet come."

Russian delegate Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov

"Speaking about the differences between the main negotiation participants, North Korea and the U.S., this distance has somewhat decreased, but of course not so considerably as we would like it to."

"Both Russia and China have practically identical positions on all issues addressed at the talks. We had a common goal: to find ways and approaches to resolving the North Korean nuclear issue and to help Washington and Pyongyang reach an agreement. No breakthrough has been made in this area yet. But nevertheless, the search for solutions will now continue through working groups."

Russia's ambassador to China, Igor Rogachev


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Japan

"During the second round of talks, we exchanged opinions on quite substantial issues. In this sense, I think there was one, new development. This time, the six parties concerned confirmed denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula as a common goal. This is one positive result."

Japan's chief delegate Mitoji Yabunaka



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United States

"The event has exceeded my expectations in a very important respect. It's been very successful in moving the agenda towards our goal of complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling (CVID) of DPRK nuclear programmes.

"CVID is now more on the table than ever....

"The devil is in the details."

Unnamed US official to reporters in Beijing

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3495908.stm

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-18-2000
Sun, 02-29-2004 - 11:30am

Were they all at the same talks? LOL


"The devil is in the details."

 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2003
Sun, 02-29-2004 - 1:07pm
The problem with NK is an example where GWB's inabililty to understand nuance is definitely a deterent to good negotiateion. GWB has given NK an untimatum and will settle for nothing less than a capitulation. GWB definitely doesn't understand Asian culture, he is much more impressed with his abilitly to be decisive than reaching an agreement.