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U.S. Seeks to Restart Six-Party Talks on North Korea
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is expected to visit three Asian countries beginning Friday in an effort to relaunch negotiations aimed at ending the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula, according to the Financial Times (see GSN, Oct. 15). Powell is set to travel to Japan, China and South Korea — three of the countries involved in the six-party talks, the Times reported. The six-party talks stalled last month after North Korea refused to attend a fourth meeting. According to the U.S. State Department, Powell “expects to hold discussions with senior officials in the three countries on bilateral matters, regional security and stability, and issues such as the global war on terrorism, Iraq, North Korea and the six-party talks” In addition, South Korea is considering sending an envoy to Pyongyang to help restore the talks, according to the Times. The probable envoy is former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung (Anna Fifield, Financial Times, Oct. 17). Meanwhile, North Korea’s second-ranking official, Kim Yong Nam, arrived in Beijing today for a visit expected to be used by Chinese officials to persuade North Korea to resume the six-party talks, according to the Associated Press. China’s efforts to relaunch talks “is expected to be one of the most important” topics on the agenda during meetings between Kim and Chinese President Hu Jintao and other Chinese officials, according the China Daily newspaper. Chinese officials have refused to provide details on the talks, AP reported (Joe McDonald, Associated Press/Washington Post, Oct. 18). U.S. and Chinese officials Friday failed to make progress on resuming the six-party talks, according to Agence France-Presse. “Unfortunately, as far as we know, the situation remains stalled, with North Korea not prepared to live up to its commitments to come back to talks ,” State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. Boucher made his comment following meetings between Chinese special envoy for North Korean affairs Ning Fukui and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly and special envoy for North Korea Joseph DeTrani (Agence France-Presse/Channel News Asia, Oct. 15).
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