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North Korea: Washington Might Offer Economic Concessions Washington might offer economic concessions to North Korea if Pyongyang abandons its nuclear weapons ambitions, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, Aug. 12). The economic assistance would only arrive after North Korea scrapped its nuclear weapons program, according to a Bush administration official. “There’s no such thing as you-do-this and suddenly Ed McMahon shows up with a check for $10 billion,” the official added. The United States, North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia are scheduled to meet in Beijing Aug. 27 to 29 for talks on defusing the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula. “There are a lot of ideas being discussed,” said an Asian diplomat. “The question is how they will be packaged, and in what sequence. The United States clearly wants its concerns addressed at an early stage, while the North Koreans want their concerns addressed at an early stage,” the diplomat added (Steven Weisman, New York Times, Aug. 13). North Korea demanded a nonaggression pact from the United States and said it would not agree to an early inspection of its nuclear facilities. “It is clear that as long as the U.S. insists on its hostile policy toward the D.P.R.K., the latter will not abandon its nuclear deterrent force,” a North Korean spokesman said. “An ‘earlier inspection’ is impossible and unthinkable before the U.S. abandons its hostile policy against the D.P.R.K.,” he added (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Aug. 13). Russian officials, meanwhile, held negotiations with North and South Korean diplomats today to prepare for the late August talks. “We are counting on finding out about the moods of Pyongyang and Seoul and the ideas they intend to put forward,” said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov. “In a way Moscow is in a better position to do this, since we conduct regular contacts with North Korea,” he added (Steve Gutterman, Associated Press, Aug. 13).
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