U.S. Cautions North Korea Against Missile Launch
29 June 2006
Six-Party Talks still viable, Assistant Secretary Hill tells House Asia panel
Washington -- Although the United States is urging North Korea not to test launch a long-range missile, doing so would not end U.S. participation in the Six-Party Talks on North Korea's nuclear program, says Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill.
"We can't speculate at this point on what North Korea's real intentions are," Hill told the House International Relations Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific during a hearing June 29.
Hill said close consultation with members of the U.N. Security Council has resulted in general agreement that a missile launch by North Korea "would be a serious international security matter."
But Hill added, "While a launch would raise questions about the future of the Six-Party Talks, the U.S. remains prepared to return to the table, with no preconditions."
Hill reiterated the U.S. commitment to resolving the problem of North Korea's nuclear weapons program via the Six-Party process that includes North and South Korea, the United States, Japan, China and Russia.
"We don't want to bilateralize our dealings with the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the formal name for North Korea]," he said.
The joint statement signed by all the parties on September 19, 2005, still stands, Hill said. If -- and only if -- North Korea eliminates all of its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs -- it would open the door for energy and economic cooperation, security provisions and steps toward normalization, he said. (See related article.)
It is North Korea that is delaying any progress, Hill said.
"The problem we face is that North Korea appears not to have made the strategic decision to eliminate its nuclear weapons and nuclear programs in exchange for a new relationship with the international community," he said. "Still, despite this challenge and the specific challenge of the DPRK's missile launch preparations, active diplomacy between the U.S. and other parties is continuing, to establish a basis for North Korea to make the decision that we firmly believe is in its interest."
Hill catalogued Pyongyang's illicit activities: money laundering, drug trafficking, smuggling counterfeit tobacco products and distributing counterfeit U.S. currency.
In September 2005, the U.S. Treasury Department designated Banco Delta Asia (BDU) in Macau under Section 311 of the Patriot Act as a "primary money laundering concern," Hill said. That designation, he explained, warns U.S. financial institutions about doing business with the bank and has produced encouraging results. (See related article.)
"Macau has adopted new anti-money laundering legislation and compelled the bank to institute more effective internal controls," Hill reported. "U.S. law enforcement and regulatory agencies are working with Macanese authorities to resolve the concerns that led to the designation."
Despite North Korean protests, the U.S. regulatory and law enforcement measures to protect its financial system from abuse are "not subject to negotiation," Hill said. "We will continue to manage our financial system as we deem appropriate in accordance with U.S. law."
Regarding South-North dialogue, Hill said the United State supports such actions to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Among the projects South Korea is pursuing, he said, are an industrial complex in Kaesong; opening transportation corridors across the demilitarized zone (DMZ) the separates the two Koreas; and the development of the Mount Kumgang tourism site, operated by the private Hyundai Asan company.
NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES
Concerning the steady flow of North Korean refugees who have fled the DPRK, Hill said the United States is working with other countries and international organizations to improve protection and assistance for refugees from the DPRK. "We have been working with other governments and refugee organizations to find ways to deal with cases of individual North Korean asylum seekers as they arise," he added.
He added that the United States would consider offering asylum to any North Korean brought to its attention by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), U.S. Embassies and Consulates, and reputable nongovernmental organizations.
HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
Essential to improving life for North Koreans is addressing the North's human rights abuses, Hill said. The United States has taken a number of actions including co-sponsoring resolutions at the U.N. Commission on Human Rights condemning North Korea's human rights abuses. It also provided a grant to the National Endowment for Democracy to support groups that monitor North Korean human rights abuses. (See related article.)
The United States, Hill said, "has made clear to North Korea that discussion of its human rights record will be part of any future normalization process."
For more information on U.S. policies, see The U.S. and the Korean Peninsula.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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