Focus on Future in Korea Nuclear Talks, China Says

Nations participating in the faltering six-party process should not overemphasize North Korea’s history of nuclear work, an official at the Chinese Embassy in Washington said yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 13).

“The point is, we should not just go back in the past to say what you have done.  The most important thing is what we should do in the future,” diplomat Ruan Zongze said during a forum, the Yonhap News Agency reported.

Progress on carrying out a 2007 agreement to eliminate North Korea’s nuclear sector has stalled since Pyongyang missed a Dec. 31 deadline to fully declare its atomic activities.  U.S. officials say a list provided in November leaves out crucial areas, including North Korea’s suspected uranium enrichment efforts.

Meanwhile, Washington has not removed the Stalinist state from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.  That is also “handicapping” forward movement in negotiations, Ruan said.

Pyongyang has repeatedly demanded “action for action” in the denuclearization process, meaning it is rewarded for each move it makes.  To date it has received heavy fuel oil from several nations while halting operations at its Yongbyon nuclear complex and moving to disable three key facilities.

“What does action for action mean?  That means once D.P.R.K. is … taking some measures for disablement or for declaration, at some time that requires economic assistance, not only from the U.S., but from other countries,” Ruan said (Yonhap News Agency I, Feb. 14).

Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said yesterday he was frustrated by the pace of progress in the year since the six nations — China, Japan, Russia, the United States and both Koreas — signed the North Korean denuclearization deal, Kyodo News reported.

Fukuda said he was also “not satisfied” by the absence of the full nuclear declaration.  “There are abduction, nuclear and missile problems between Japan and North Korea, so I would like to negotiate on these major issues,” he said.

His comments echoed those made earlier in the day by Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura.

“Frankly, things are not proceeding in line with the design or road map that we had drawn up at first,” he said during a press conference.  “It is unfortunate that there have been delays, but we believe the six-party talks are a very important process” (Kyodo News, Feb. 13).

The U.S. Congress should closely monitor funding for the denuclearization process to ensure that North Korea follows through on its obligations, one lawmaker said yesterday.

Washington is carrying much of the cost burden for disablement of a nuclear reactor and two other plants at Yongbyon and is expected to provide additional funding for planned nuclear dismantlement activities in North Korea, Yonhap reported.

“I agree that Congress has to be vigilant in the oversight, not just on policy but on appropriation,” Senator Robert Casey (D-Pa.) said during the forum in Washington.  “I don’t disagree that it’s going to require a lot of thinking and a judgment call, and series of calls.”

He said that the six-nation negotiations are the correct route for disarming North Korea.  “I would hope that whoever wins the presidential election would continue down the similar path as now,” Casey said (Yonhap News Agency II, Feb. 14).

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