- North Korea told the United States it was willing to
freeze its nuclear weapons program if Washington took an unspecified "corresponding"
step, while other nations offered energy aid as a carrot for nuclear disarmament.
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- In ongoing six-nation talks on the nuclear standoff,
China, Russia and South Korea put forward a proposal to offer the starving
nation energy aid in return for the stalinist state beginning to dismantle
its nuclear weapons.
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- The energy offer came as the United States appeared to
stick to its position that it would only offer North Korea compensation
after the complete, irreversible and verifiable dismantling of Pyongyang
nuclear program.
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- "We, the DPRK delegation, offered to abandon our
nuclear weapons plan if the United States gives up its hostile policy against
DPRK (North Korea)," a North Korean official told journalists at a
hastily arranged briefing in front of the North Korean Embassy in Beijing.
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- "In a measure of action, we proposed that we freeze
the nuclear weapons plan while the US is taking a corresponding measure."
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- He did not specify what the corresponding measure should
be.
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- The official, who did not identify himself, said he represented
the North Korean delegation as he accused the US of being stubborn, an
accusation echoed by the Russian delegation.
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- "Despite our flexible offer, the US anachronistically
sticks to the policy of abandoning the nuclear program first..., but we
were not able to make a breakthrough in settling the issue," the official
said.
-
- Talks were to continue on Friday, with China saying no
decision had been made as to when the round of talks would end.
-
- Earlier China, Russia and South Korea proposed offering
energy aid in return for freezing and dismantling its nuclear weapons programs
in the first stage in the process of making North Korea a non-nuclear nation.
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- "Russia and China, together with us, clearly expressed
their willingness to join in energy aid," said South Korea's chief
negotiator Lee Soo-Hyuck. "The United States and Japan expressed their
understanding and support for this.
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- "The energy aid requires a presumption that North
Korea freezes its nuclear activity as a beginning step to dismantle all
of its nuclear programs completely, irreversibly and verifiably."
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- Lee, who characterised Thursday's talks as "sincere",
did not elaborate on what the energy aid would be.
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- But it would most likely involve fuel shipments which
were cut off by the United States, Japan, South Korea and the European
Union in late 2002 after US envoy James Kelly said North Korea had admitted
having an uranium enrichment program and was trying to build nuclear weapons.
-
- Despite North Korea's subsequent denials, Washington
said this nullified the 1994 Agreed Framework in which the United States
promised to provide two nuclear power reactors deemed unsuitable for weapons
production, together with 500,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil a year.
-
- In return the Stalinist state was to have frozen its
nuclear arms program.
-
- Following the suspension of fuel, Pyongyang responded
by reactivating its Yongbyon plutonium-producing nuclear complex which
had been mothballed and kept under UN observation since the 1994 deal.
-
- It also withdrew from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty
and ordered UN nuclear monitors to leave the country, setting up the current
showdown.
-
- The United States, which held a rare meeting with the
North Koreans Wednesday, has been adamant that the uranium issue must be
addressed first in the Beijing talks in exchange for security guarantees
and economic and energy aid.
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- Japan is not prepeared to offer aid until the abduction
of Japanese nationals by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s is adequately
addressed.
-
- "The United States continues to stick to a hardline
position, demanding the complete dismantling of North Korea's nuclear programs,"
said Russia's chief delegate Alexander Losyukov.
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- "The Japanese side is restricted by the issue of
the kidnappings."
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- Impoverished North Korea has few bargaining chips other
than its nuclear weapons and has a history of brinkmanship, pushing for
every concession it can get.
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- China said the talks had entered a "pivotal"
stage, but that no consensus had been reached so far.
-
- "The six-party talks have entered a pivotal phase
of discussing the abolishing of nuclear programs, safeguarding security
and economic cooperation," State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan, who has
played a key role in organizing the talks, was quoted by Xinhua news agency
as saying.
-
- Foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue expressed optimism
that the talks were on a successful track.
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- "The Chinese side believes that through the common
efforts of all the parties, it is possible to lay down a consensus reached
at the end of these talks in a written form," she said.
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- During Thursday's session, each of the six countries
-- North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Russia, China and the United States
-- took the floor, with North Korea allowed two opportunities to speak,
Japanese officials said.
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- http://sg.news.yahoo.com/040226/1/3ic0r.html
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