ID :
35230
Fri, 12/12/2008 - 12:46
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/35230
The shortlink copeid
Nuclear talks end without any deal
By Lee Chi-dong
BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Yonhap) -- North Korea and its five dialogue partners trying to end its nuclear program failed Thursday to produce a new deal, signaling a protracted stalemate in efforts to advance the denuclearisation process.
Top American envoy Christopher Hill headed back to Washington hours before host
China formally called an end to the talks also joined by South Korea, Russia, and
Japan. He cited a schedule in Washington as a reason for his unusual early
departure.
"We had some very ambitious plans for this round. Unfortunately we were not able
to complete some of what we wanted to do," the U.S. assistant secretary of state
told reporters at the Beijing international airport.
"We worked very hard on verification but ultimately we were not able to get an
agreed verification protocol," he added, referring to a written accord on
detailed ways to inspect the secretive nation's nuclear facilities declared in
its June document. Signing a verification protocol was a primary goal of this
week's talks, the first session in five months.
He ascribed the failure to the North's refusal to accept demands by the other
parties.
"I would say there was a lot of agreement among the majority of the delegations
there, but you know the DPRK (North Korea) was not ready to agree on the
verification protocol with all the standards that are required," he said.
Whether North Korea should let outside inspectors take samples from its nuclear
sites for analysis at foreign laboratories was an apparent deal-breaker. The U.S.
says it is a key requirement for complete verification, while the North objects
to it.
Hill said the related nations will keep working on the issue but said no schedule
was set for the next round.
Shortly after Hill's departure, China released a two-page chairman's statement to
summarize the outcome of the talks which were originally scheduled to finish on
Wednesday but extended by another day.
"The Parties evaluated the progress made towards agreement on terms for
verification," it read. "The Parties would welcome assistance and consultancy
from the IAEA in the course of verification."
BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Yonhap) -- North Korea and its five dialogue partners trying to end its nuclear program failed Thursday to produce a new deal, signaling a protracted stalemate in efforts to advance the denuclearisation process.
Top American envoy Christopher Hill headed back to Washington hours before host
China formally called an end to the talks also joined by South Korea, Russia, and
Japan. He cited a schedule in Washington as a reason for his unusual early
departure.
"We had some very ambitious plans for this round. Unfortunately we were not able
to complete some of what we wanted to do," the U.S. assistant secretary of state
told reporters at the Beijing international airport.
"We worked very hard on verification but ultimately we were not able to get an
agreed verification protocol," he added, referring to a written accord on
detailed ways to inspect the secretive nation's nuclear facilities declared in
its June document. Signing a verification protocol was a primary goal of this
week's talks, the first session in five months.
He ascribed the failure to the North's refusal to accept demands by the other
parties.
"I would say there was a lot of agreement among the majority of the delegations
there, but you know the DPRK (North Korea) was not ready to agree on the
verification protocol with all the standards that are required," he said.
Whether North Korea should let outside inspectors take samples from its nuclear
sites for analysis at foreign laboratories was an apparent deal-breaker. The U.S.
says it is a key requirement for complete verification, while the North objects
to it.
Hill said the related nations will keep working on the issue but said no schedule
was set for the next round.
Shortly after Hill's departure, China released a two-page chairman's statement to
summarize the outcome of the talks which were originally scheduled to finish on
Wednesday but extended by another day.
"The Parties evaluated the progress made towards agreement on terms for
verification," it read. "The Parties would welcome assistance and consultancy
from the IAEA in the course of verification."
