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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: michael97123 who wrote (109131)	7/31/2003 3:07:35 PM
From: GST	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Wrong about what? The need for talks? I have been an outspoken advocate of talks.

To: michael97123 who wrote (109131)	7/31/2003 4:45:45 PM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

Guess you are wrong again and proved wrong real fast this time. Isn't it amazing what happens in NK when you stand up to them?

To: michael97123 who wrote (109131)	7/31/2003 4:51:34 PM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 281500

And here comes the NYT article on it. Those Binary guys win again! State Dept. Sees North Korea as Ready for 6-Way Negotiations By DAVID STOUT WASHINGTON, July 31 - North Korea now appears to be ready to talk to the United States and four other nations about its nuclear weapons program in what could be a significant diplomatic thaw, Bush administration officials said today. The North Korean government has long insisted on one-on-one talks with Washington on nuclear issues, but the Bush administration has always rejected that idea, saying it would not give in to what it called "blackmail." So if North Korea has indeed shifted its stance, and if the shift is more than momentary, the way could be open for talks that would include not only diplomats from Pyongyang and Washington but representatives from China, South Korea, Russia and Japan as well. There was no immediate word on where or when these new talks might take place. News of the development came somewhat indirectly from Moscow. There, North Korea's ambassador to Russia, Pak Ui Chun, told Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov today that North Korea now supports "six-sided talks with the participation of Russia on resolving the current complex situation on the Korean Peninsula," the State Department spokesman, Richard Boucher, told reporters this afternoon. Mr. Boucher said the Bush administration was "encouraged, very encouraged" by the development. President Bush's spokesman, Scott McClellan, reacted with more caution to the development and said the White House remains in close contact with the Chinese, South Koreans, Japanese and Russians. "We hope that North Korea is willing to agree to multilateral talks," Mr. McClellan said at a White House briefing. "It is important that we continue to move forward and that North Korea once and for all end its nuclear weapons program." News of the apparent shift by the Pyongyang government came hours after John Bolton, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, condemned the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il, as a "tyrannical dictator" who presides over a country that is "a hellish nightmare." Mr. Bolton delivered his speech in Seoul. It was not immediately clear whether the timing of Mr. Bolton's strongly worded speech was a just a coincidence. In the past, communications between the United States and North Korea have been marked by unpredictability and bellicose language. Mr. Boucher suggested that Mr. Bolton, who has been in South Korea for a few days, might not have been informed of the very latest developments on North Korea. "I'm sure he's been updated by now," Mr. Boucher said. Mr. McClellan hinted that China's leaders may have had a role in North Korea's apparent shift. He noted that President Bush talked on Wednesday with President Hu Jintao of China and thanked him for his attempts to persuade North Korea to take part in multi-nation talks. "So we will see where this leads us," Mr. McClellan said. At the State Department, Mr. Boucher also indicated that the Chinese had been a major player in persuading the North Koreans when he said that Bush administration officials have been in close touch with their Chinese counterparts for days. "What I would say at this point is we're encouraged, we're very encouraged by indications that North Korea is accepting our proposals for multilateral talks," Mr. Boucher said. North Korea's insistence on one-on-one talks seemed to soften, albeit slightly, in April, when North Korea met in Beijing with officials from China as well as the United States. China has long been North Korea's ally. But American diplomats have said it is in China's long-range interests to have stability on the Korean Peninsula, a factor that may have led China to try to persuade North Korea. The United States has been demanding the dismantling of North Korea's uranium- and plutonium-based nuclear weapons programs, especially since North Korea acknowledged to last October that it had secretly begun the uranium-based program. North Korea has long been one of the poorest, most isolated countries on earth. President Bush has repeatedly said that the United States and other country are eager to help North Korea toward prosperity and friendship, if only the North Koreans will behave like a responsible nation. nytimes.com