According to a source on Friday, Kim Kye-gwan, chief of the North Korean delegation, said Thursday during a two-party meeting with the U.S., held as part of the third six-way talks in Beijing, ¡°We will stop producing, exporting, and experimenting with nuclear weapons.¡± The source added that Kim made this remark while explaining the details of the North¡¯s plan, but he doesn¡¯t think when Kim talked about nuclear weapons, he included the HEU.
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U.S.Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly (center) heads to the venue, accompanied by special envoy Joseph DeTrani (left) in Beijing on Friday morning for the six-nation talks aimed at persuading North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program as the negotiations enter a third day.
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Kim¡¯s remark to end the production of nuclear weapons draws particular attention because it implies that the North does in fact possess nuclear weapons. Until now, the North¡¯s neighboring countries and the U.S. have raised the possibility that the North may have six or seven nuclear weapons. During the first six-way talks last August, North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Young-il told the U.S. Delegation Chief James Kelly that they could put on display the nuclear arms they have. Japan, Korea, and the U.S. think that Kim¡¯s remark has significance in advancing the talks for the future and are discussing holding a working group meeting after the third round of talks.
The North Korean chief also said, ¡°There are people in the country who want to develop and experiment with nuclear weapons. It is not easy to persuade them to give up development.¡±
Meanwhile, the six countries held a series of chief and deputy-chief meetings to discuss the form and contents of joint statements that will be adopted during the talks. The talks started on June 21 and will end on 26.
(Lee Ha-won, may2@chosun.com )
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