North Korean top nuclear envoy Kim Kye-gwan on Tuesday hinted the U.S. showed a positive shift in its position on the North Korean nuclear program when he met with his U.S. counterpart Christopher Hill in Berlin last week. He also hinted at a possible change in North Korea¡¯s position. Kim made the remarks after having a luncheon meeting with his South Korean counterpart Chun Yung-woo at a club in Beijing. He called the Berlin meeting ¡°satisfactory¡± but declined to elaborate on details, saying, ¡°Keep watching. And you will know.¡± Asked about a change in North Korea¡¯s stance, he answered, ¡°Everything can change.¡±
 |
|
North Korea's negotiator for the six-party talks Kim Kye-gwan (2nd L) talks with South Korea's chief negotiator for the six-party talks Chun Yung-woo (R) after a meeting at a club in Beijing on Tuesday./Reuters
|
 |
|
Returning from Beijing, Chun said the next round of the six-way nuclear talks could open by the week starting on Feb. 5 at the latest. He hinted that the U.S. and the North basically agreed in the Berlin meeting on initial measures such as freezing North Korea¡¯s nuclear activities for economic aid. Chun said the next round of the six-party talks will end before Feb. 18, the second day of the Lunar New Year holiday, and promised to bring ¡°a New Year¡¯s gift¡± to the people. Chun said both Washington and Pyongyang showed flexibility in settling conflict over the U.S.¡¯ financial sanctions on the North¡¯s accounts in the Macau-based Banco Delta Asia.
Chun declared himself optimistic about the prospects of the nuclear disarmament effort, saying the North was more flexible about the nuclear problem as well as the financial sanctions and was willing to settle them diplomatically. To meet his South Korean counterpart, Kim delayed his return to Pyongyang by Air Koryo on Tuesday morning.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
