ID :
34238
Sat, 12/06/2008 - 16:43
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/34238
The shortlink copeid
(EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on Dec. 6) - Tough road ahead
Top U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill and his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye-gwan met Thursday and Friday in Singapore to try to set the tone for the six-party talks, which are expected to resume in Beijing next Monday.
The two sides discussed verification of North Korea's nuclear declaration,
disablement, and energy assistance.
Washington and Pyongyang differ on what was agreed to when Hill visited Pyongyang
in early October to salvage the nuclear disarmament deal. The understanding
reached in October paved the way for North Korea to be taken off the U.S. list of
state sponsors of terrorism.
While the United States says that the October agreement included samples of
atomic material being taken away, Pyongyang says it never agreed to such a
procedure. It maintains that the verification by other parties of its nuclear
inventory will only include field visits, confirmation of documents and
interviews with technicians.
The issue of sampling is crucial because sampling would make it possible to check
how much weapons-grade plutonium North Korea produced in the past and how many
bombs it could make. Indeed, without the sampling of nuclear materials, any
verification process will be a crippled one at best, if not wholly ineffective.
Beijing, the host of the six-party talks, has yet to announce the date of the
next round. But U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the six countries
would meet in Beijing next Monday to finalize a plan for verification of
Pyongyang's disarmament.
That meeting will likely be one of the Bush administration's last chances to make
progress on North Korean nuclear disarmament before leaving office in January.
Given that background, it is not difficult to predict that Pyongyang will try to
get last-minute concessions out of the upcoming round of talks. As the Bush
administration would be eager to score a diplomatic success - it suffers from a
dismal diplomatic record - Pyongyang will try to take advantage of the situation.
On the other hand, North Korea may decide on a delaying tactic. It may reason
that it is in their interest to wait until the Obama administration takes over in
Washington before putting any verification protocol in writing. President-elect
Obama's statement during the campaign period that he would be willing to talk
with North Korea's Kim Jong-il may have given North Koreans the idea that they
could reach a more favorable agreement with the Obama administration.
At a meeting in Tokyo earlier in the week, South Korean nuclear envoy Kim Sook,
Hill and Japanese nuclear negotiator Akita Saiki agreed to try to get Pyongyang
to agree to a written verification protocol. They agreed that the document should
cover the removal of samples from North Korea's nuclear facilities, despite
strong North Korean objections.
Getting Pyongyang to commit to a written agreement on the verification procedure
may be the most difficult part of the talks next week, but it is one that should
be done before the remaining phase of the North Korea nuclear disarmament deal
can be pursued.
(END)
The two sides discussed verification of North Korea's nuclear declaration,
disablement, and energy assistance.
Washington and Pyongyang differ on what was agreed to when Hill visited Pyongyang
in early October to salvage the nuclear disarmament deal. The understanding
reached in October paved the way for North Korea to be taken off the U.S. list of
state sponsors of terrorism.
While the United States says that the October agreement included samples of
atomic material being taken away, Pyongyang says it never agreed to such a
procedure. It maintains that the verification by other parties of its nuclear
inventory will only include field visits, confirmation of documents and
interviews with technicians.
The issue of sampling is crucial because sampling would make it possible to check
how much weapons-grade plutonium North Korea produced in the past and how many
bombs it could make. Indeed, without the sampling of nuclear materials, any
verification process will be a crippled one at best, if not wholly ineffective.
Beijing, the host of the six-party talks, has yet to announce the date of the
next round. But U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the six countries
would meet in Beijing next Monday to finalize a plan for verification of
Pyongyang's disarmament.
That meeting will likely be one of the Bush administration's last chances to make
progress on North Korean nuclear disarmament before leaving office in January.
Given that background, it is not difficult to predict that Pyongyang will try to
get last-minute concessions out of the upcoming round of talks. As the Bush
administration would be eager to score a diplomatic success - it suffers from a
dismal diplomatic record - Pyongyang will try to take advantage of the situation.
On the other hand, North Korea may decide on a delaying tactic. It may reason
that it is in their interest to wait until the Obama administration takes over in
Washington before putting any verification protocol in writing. President-elect
Obama's statement during the campaign period that he would be willing to talk
with North Korea's Kim Jong-il may have given North Koreans the idea that they
could reach a more favorable agreement with the Obama administration.
At a meeting in Tokyo earlier in the week, South Korean nuclear envoy Kim Sook,
Hill and Japanese nuclear negotiator Akita Saiki agreed to try to get Pyongyang
to agree to a written verification protocol. They agreed that the document should
cover the removal of samples from North Korea's nuclear facilities, despite
strong North Korean objections.
Getting Pyongyang to commit to a written agreement on the verification procedure
may be the most difficult part of the talks next week, but it is one that should
be done before the remaining phase of the North Korea nuclear disarmament deal
can be pursued.
(END)
