NK to Accept Multilateral Talks on Nuclear Row
2003-04-14
Backing down from its position of insisting on direct talks with the United States, North Korea said Saturday that Pyongyang would accept any form of dialogue if the U.S. abandons its hostile policy toward the communist nation.
"The type of dialogue will not matter if the U.S. is ready to change its policy regarding the settlement of the nuclear issue," a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said during an interview with the (North) Korean Central News Agency.
The United States said it noted North Korea's announcement and plans to give a response soon. "We noted the report with interest and expect to follow up through appropriate diplomatic channels," State Department spokeswoman Amanda Batt said.
South Korea also welcomed North Korea's move, describing it as a step forward. "We regard the North's statement as positive progress toward resumption of dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington," a Foreign Affairs-Trade Ministry official said.
"North Korea seems to have been informed through various channels from relevant nations that it would be able to discuss matters of its interest once it comes to the multilateral dialogue format," the official said.
Another official who accompanied Foreign Minister Yoon Young-kwan on his visit to China said that he was given the impression that there has been considerable progress regarding China's efforts to effectively persuade North Korea to accept a multilateral dialogue setting.
A North Korean spokesman said further dialogue "depends on whether the U.S. has a political intention to give up its confrontation against us. In order to help resolve the nuclear crisis, the U.S. should first discontinue it nuclear threat on the North."
During a seminar in the United States last week, North Korea's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Han Song-ryul, cited the need for Pyongyang and Washington to meet halfway to satisfy the demands of both sides with regard to future dialogue.
Han's remark has largely been interpreted here as an indication that the North plans to comply with requests from neighboring nations for a multilateral setting to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.
Sources note that progress has been made and there will be a breakthrough in the deadlocked relations between North Korea and the United States, given the North's expression of willingness to accept the U.S.-initiated multinational talks and the positive response from the United States.
Yoon earlier noted Seoul maintains a "cautiously optimistic" view on the prospect of resuming dialogue and a peaceful settlement of the lingering tension over the North Korean nuclear arms program.
But other experts present a relatively dim outlook, given that the U.S. administration, still involved in its military campaign in Iraq, has yet to coordinate its policy on North Korea between its hawks and doves.
Despite calls for the peaceful resolution of the North Korean issue, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney has asked North Korea to drop its nuclear program to have dialogue with the U.S., generating speculation that the U.S. stance on North Korean has further hardened, prompted by the near-victory in its war in Iraq.
Source : www.korea.net
