Six-Party Nuclear Talks Resume in Beijing
Six-party talks on North Korean nuclear issues resumed in Beijing on Dec. 18, ongoing since 2003, to persuade Pyongyang to disarm its nuclear weapons. No talks have taken place since November 2005 when the North boycotted the meetings, accusing Washington of freezing accounts at BDA as financial sanctions against the North.
The six-party member countries have officially begun a general meeting after the opening ceremony presided over by Chinese top envoy We Dawei. According to a source, it is reported that China, as the host country of the talks, is currently pushing Pyongyang harder than before to keep its commitments in the joint statement.
A hot issue of this fifth round of negotiations is how Washington and Pyongyang will narrow their gap on the nuclear issue. Nuclear analysts say, “As Washington promises economic aid and security guarantees in return for the North’s acceptance of Washington’s preconditions, this round totally depends on the North’s attitude. The conditions are to halt the Youngbyon nuclear reactor, to accept IAEA investigations, to report nuclear programs, and to lockout nuclear testing grounds prior to complete disarmament of nuclear weapons by the North.”
Another variable of these talks is the matter of BDA. According to a source, the North is likely to dispatch and group of BDA-related financial experts, led by Oh Kwang Chul, to Beijing before a BDA working-group meeting begins. An unknown source said that US Treasury officials are scheduled to meet the North Koreans in Beijing this week to discuss the financial standoff.
The Chicago Tribune quoted a US government source, “Washington intends to discuss North Korea’s 24 million dollars frozen at BDA at the talks, and we discovered that half of the money might not be related with the North’s illegal nuclear issue.”
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 / 입력시간: 2006. 12.19. 08:28
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