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North Korea has agreed to return to six-party talks on its nuclear program soon, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on its website Tuesday. ¡°Heads of delegation to the six-party talks from China, North Korea, and the U.S. had an informal meeting in Beijing on Monday, as proposed by China, and agreed that the six-party talks be held soon," Beijing said. The statement added the heads of the three nations "had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on continuing efforts to advance the process of the six-party talks." South Korea was conspicuously absent from the meeting between U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, and his Chinese and North Korean counterparts Wu Dawei and Kim Kye-gwan.
Hill predicted the nuclear talks will resume in early November or December. North Korea ¡°did not make any conditions," but "wanted to hear that we would address the issue of the financial measures in the context of the talks, and I said we were prepared to create a mechanism, a working group, to address these financial issues,¡± the diplomat told reporters after the meeting.
¡°We also had a discussion about the need to achieve rapid progress on the implementation of the September 2005 statement, and in that connection we all reaffirmed, ¡¦ our commitment to the September state,¡± Hill added.
The six-way nuclear talks have been stalled since November last year. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il earlier reportedly told Chinese special envoy Tang Jiaxuan that he has no plan to conduct a second nuclear test, but warned North Korea "may take further measures" if other countries continue to put pressure on his regime.
South Korea was excluded from Tuesday¡¯s meeting, leaving the U.S. and China to persuade North Korea to rejoin the nuclear talks. A government official here said Seoul had been ¡°in continuous discussion¡± with Washington about the directions of the tripartite meeting. But South Korea seems not to have had any input in this crucial turn of events. China¡¯s statement does not mention South Korea at all. It is not the first time that Seoul has been sidelined.
Lat year, North Korea agreed to join the fourth round of the talks after secret negotiations between its chief delegate Kim Kye-gwan and Hill, with China mediating. At the time, Seoul was briefed by Washington and Beijing on the developments but did not directly participate. Last week, the government seemed vague about what was discussed in Kim Jong-il¡¯s meeting with the Chinese special envoy. South Korea¡¯s foreign and security ministries were split over the interpretation of the results Tang relayed to Seoul.
While the government has held up an active role for Seoul as one of three principles for resolving the North Korean nuclear problem since it took office in 2003, it has regularly been left out of critical negotiations. North Korea has in effect brushed aside South Korean ¡°meddling,¡± saying that it wants to talk only with the U.S. The U.S. has been almost as reluctant to let the South take part in important talks, apparently out of concern that Seoul would take Pyongyang¡¯s side. Some say Seoul played its first and last decisive part in the nuclear issue when it facilitated last year¡¯s Sept. 19 statement of principles committing North Korea to giving up its nuclear ambitions, by offering massive energy aid. Many expect the South¡¯s role to remain limited when the six-party talks resume.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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