South Korea's Jung Eun-Ju celebrates after winning the Women's Short Track 1500m competition for the 6th Asian Winter Games in Changchun, Northeastern China's Jilin province, Monday, Jan. 29, 2007. Jun took gold with a time of 2 mins 24.089 seconds. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)



Second BDA Talks Between US and North Korea in Beijing

With regards to Banco Delta Asia (BDA), the US Treasury Department announced on January 27 that the second BDA working-level talks between Washington and Pyongyang and the six-party talks on North Korean nuclear issues will be held in Beijing on Jan. 30.

A Russian news agency quoted a Russian vice-foreign minister, “The six-party talks will be held next month between February 5 and 8.” Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported that Washington and Pyongyang agreed to negotiate Pyongyang’s frozen accounts at BDA at the next session of the six-party nuclear talks. In addition, a Korean diplomatic source forecast, “The nuclear talks will be held on February 8 as long as no special variable takes place.”

Based on contents previously touched during the first BDA talks last December, the US and North Korea are set to negotiate the financial row over US restrictions on a Macau bank. Analysts forecast that the consequences of the BDA talks between the two countries can greatly affect the six-party talks.

The analysts added that if the North clarifies that it will prevent counterfeiting US dollars during the BDA talks, the US will take a step to thaw some legal North Korean accounts at BDA.

The two countries negotiated ways of lifting US financial sanctions on the North and suspicions of North Korean counterfeiting of US dollars last month. If the BDA talks go smoothly, the North will take early action for nuclear dismantling and the US will prepare some reward in return.
/ 입력시간: 2007. 01.30. 08:17