ID :
35311
Sat, 12/13/2008 - 06:28
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/35311
The shortlink copeid
Nuclear talks not complete failure: foreign minister
SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Yonhap) -- It is too early to doubt the effectiveness of multinational talks on North Korea's nuclear disarmament although the latest round of negotiations failed to break the deadlock, South Korea's top diplomat said Friday.
The latest negotiations ended Thursday without bridging a dispute over how to
verify North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Sampling at North Korea's main
nuclear complex is considered a key process in checking whether the North has
been truthful in its declaration of its atomic inventory.
The six-nation talks, involving the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, China
and Russia, have taken place intermittently since 2003, backtracking in 2006 when
the North conducted an unexpected underground nuclear test.
"It is too soon to question the effectiveness of the six-party talks or say North
Korea's denuclearization process is dead," Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said in
a conference with ruling party legislators Friday. "Although it has been slow,
the six nations generally agree a considerable amount of progress has been made
on North Korea's denuclearization."
Expressing confidence that the incoming U.S. leader Barack Obama, who will take
office in late January, will tackle North Korea's denuclearization within the
six-party talks framework, Yu added that Seoul will soon convene a meeting to
settle the issue of sending the remainder of the promised fuel aid to Pyongyang.
The nuclear negotiations appeared to be taking positive steps in 2007 when North
Korea agreed to disable facilities at its plutonium-producing Yongbyon nuclear
complex and declare all of its atomic activities in return for 1 million tons of
fuel oil or energy aid of equivalent value. The process hit an impasse in August
over the verification standoff.
While the United States claim Pyongyang agreed to allow outside inspectors to
take samples and conduct forensic tests at all of its declared nuclear facilities
as well as undeclared sites, North Korea says it only agreed to let experts
"view" its Yongbyon atomic complex.
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)
The latest negotiations ended Thursday without bridging a dispute over how to
verify North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Sampling at North Korea's main
nuclear complex is considered a key process in checking whether the North has
been truthful in its declaration of its atomic inventory.
The six-nation talks, involving the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, China
and Russia, have taken place intermittently since 2003, backtracking in 2006 when
the North conducted an unexpected underground nuclear test.
"It is too soon to question the effectiveness of the six-party talks or say North
Korea's denuclearization process is dead," Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said in
a conference with ruling party legislators Friday. "Although it has been slow,
the six nations generally agree a considerable amount of progress has been made
on North Korea's denuclearization."
Expressing confidence that the incoming U.S. leader Barack Obama, who will take
office in late January, will tackle North Korea's denuclearization within the
six-party talks framework, Yu added that Seoul will soon convene a meeting to
settle the issue of sending the remainder of the promised fuel aid to Pyongyang.
The nuclear negotiations appeared to be taking positive steps in 2007 when North
Korea agreed to disable facilities at its plutonium-producing Yongbyon nuclear
complex and declare all of its atomic activities in return for 1 million tons of
fuel oil or energy aid of equivalent value. The process hit an impasse in August
over the verification standoff.
While the United States claim Pyongyang agreed to allow outside inspectors to
take samples and conduct forensic tests at all of its declared nuclear facilities
as well as undeclared sites, North Korea says it only agreed to let experts
"view" its Yongbyon atomic complex.
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)
