ID :
39246
Wed, 01/07/2009 - 15:25
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http://m.oananews.org//node/39246
The shortlink copeid
Negroponte due in Beijing for talks on N. Korean nuke verification: State Dept.
By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte
will meet with Chinese officials in Beijing Wednesday on ways to persuade North
Korea to agree to a verification regime on its nuclear facilities.
"I expect that they probably will (discuss) North Korea and Iran," State
Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a daily news briefing.
Negroponte's primary reason for the China visit is to commemorate the 30th
anniversary of establishment of bilateral relations, the spokesman said.
Condoleezza Rice was scheduled to visit Beijing on her last trip to China as
secretary of state, but shelved the plan due to the worsening situation in the
Gaza Strip, where Israeli ground forces moved in a few days ago to begin ground
battles with about 20,000 Hamas guerrilla forces.
"The secretary had looked forward to going to China to commemorate the
anniversary, but she's very pleased that the deputy secretary has agreed to take
her place in that regard," McCormack said.
In the latest round of the six-party talks held early last month, North Korea
refused to sign an agreement on a verification protocol, which includes taking
samples from its main nuclear reactor for scientific verification of its past and
current nuclear activities. The six parties include the two Koreas, China, Japan
and Russia.
North Korea did agree to visits by international inspectors to its declared
nuclear sites, as well as to interviews with its scientists and viewing of
related documents.
North Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Kim Kye-gwan, said at that time that he will
sign a verification protocol later, in the agreement's third and final phase,
which deals with dismantlement of nuclear facilities.
In the dismantlement phase, the North is to get significant economic aid and
diplomatic recognition by Washington and Tokyo.
The five other parties insist that the sampling should be part of the disablement
of the North's nuclear facilities, the second phase of the deal, under which
Pyongyang is supposed to get 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil.
Pyongyang is said to be hoping for a better deal from the Barack Obama
administration.
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte
will meet with Chinese officials in Beijing Wednesday on ways to persuade North
Korea to agree to a verification regime on its nuclear facilities.
"I expect that they probably will (discuss) North Korea and Iran," State
Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a daily news briefing.
Negroponte's primary reason for the China visit is to commemorate the 30th
anniversary of establishment of bilateral relations, the spokesman said.
Condoleezza Rice was scheduled to visit Beijing on her last trip to China as
secretary of state, but shelved the plan due to the worsening situation in the
Gaza Strip, where Israeli ground forces moved in a few days ago to begin ground
battles with about 20,000 Hamas guerrilla forces.
"The secretary had looked forward to going to China to commemorate the
anniversary, but she's very pleased that the deputy secretary has agreed to take
her place in that regard," McCormack said.
In the latest round of the six-party talks held early last month, North Korea
refused to sign an agreement on a verification protocol, which includes taking
samples from its main nuclear reactor for scientific verification of its past and
current nuclear activities. The six parties include the two Koreas, China, Japan
and Russia.
North Korea did agree to visits by international inspectors to its declared
nuclear sites, as well as to interviews with its scientists and viewing of
related documents.
North Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Kim Kye-gwan, said at that time that he will
sign a verification protocol later, in the agreement's third and final phase,
which deals with dismantlement of nuclear facilities.
In the dismantlement phase, the North is to get significant economic aid and
diplomatic recognition by Washington and Tokyo.
The five other parties insist that the sampling should be part of the disablement
of the North's nuclear facilities, the second phase of the deal, under which
Pyongyang is supposed to get 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil.
Pyongyang is said to be hoping for a better deal from the Barack Obama
administration.
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)
