US Ready to Meet NK in Multilateral Setting
2003-03-21
A top U.S. diplomat said on Friday (March 21) the United States will have direct talks with North Korea on ways to resolve the standoff over the North's nuclear program once the reclusive nation comes to the U.S.-initiated multilateral dialogue table.
"We are ready to meet with representatives of North Korea in a multilateral setting to discuss the steps the North can take to meet the obligations it has undertaken, and has, regrettably abandoned," U.S. Ambassador Thomas C. Hubbard said during a forum in Seoul on the alliance between South Korea and the United States.
North Korea has insisted on holding bilateral talks with the U.S. on the nuclear issue while the U.S. wishes to follow a multilateral format, alleging the nuclear threat is a regional and international issue.
Hubbard renewed the U.S. stance that it would press to resolve the escalating tension on the Korean peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy.
"We remain determined to solve the issue of North Korea's nuclear program peacefully," he said during the forum organized by Harry Truman Presidential Library Institute and Asian Affairs Center at the University of Missouri at the Plaza Hotel in central Seoul.
Hubbard said recent events, such as the restarting of the nuclear reactor at Yeongbyeon and the dangerous and provocative interception of a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft in international airspace, remind that the problem must addressed and solved.
"At the same time, we do not intend to allow a sense of urgency to overwhelm caution, patience, and prudence. We will not be rushed or bullied, and we will not consider or offer any reward to North Korea for ceasing activities it should never have begun in the first place," he said.
"This is a global challenge and must be addressed by a combination of concerned states. This is why the United States continues to emphasize the need for a multilateral approach to resolving this issue," he said.
Hubbard expressed gratitude to the Korean government's support for the U.S.-led military campaign against Iraq.
Source : www.korea.net
