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A new round of six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear program begins in Beijing on Monday, but few hold out much hope that it will result in the breakthrough the Bush administration needs to crown its lackluster diplomatic record. North Korea is going through one of the standoffish phases that usually seize it when a new U.S. government is about to take over, and has engineered a new ice age in inter-Korean ties.
South Korean chief negotiator Kim Sook told reporters on Sunday he was ¡°not optimistic.¡± Kim and his Japanese and U.S. counterparts Akitaka Saiki and Christopher Hill met on Sunday and discussed their strategy for the upcoming meeting in Beijing.
The key issue is whether international nuclear inspectors will be allowed to take samples to check whether the North has declared all its nuclear programs and stockpiles. South Korea, Japan and the U.S. insist the new protocol include a clause whereby North Korea guarantees it, but the North is adamant the issue should be dealt with in the next round of the talks.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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