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U.S., DPRK agree on need to resume six-party talks: Bosworth

Published: 11/12/2009 05:00

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Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special envoy to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), said Thursday that the U.S. and the DPRK reached a common understanding on the need for resuming the six-party talks.

Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special envoy to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), addresses a press conference in Seoul, capital of South Korea, on Dec. 10, 2009. Bosworth said Thursday that the U.S. and the DPRK reached a common understanding on the need for resuming the six-party talks and implementing the Joint Statement of September 2005. (Xinhua/He Lulu)

WHAT CAME OUT OF U.S.-DPRK DIALOGUE

Wrapping up his three-day trip to Pyongyang, Bosworth held a press conference in Seoul, calling the trip “very useful” in that he was able to exchange views in a “candid, business-like” way.

The discussions, held within the framework of the six-party talks, were focused on the way to move forward on the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and implementation of the other elements of the Joint Statement of September 2005, Bosworth said.

Having held talks with DPRK’s First Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok-ju and Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan, the U.S. envoy said he communicated to the officials U.S. President Barack Obama’s view that “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the fundamental undertaking of the six-party talks, if resumed.”

“It remains to be seen when and how the DPRK will return to the six-party talks,” he said, adding that the issue will require further consultations among six members of the talks.

“We discussed all of the elements of the Sept. 19 2005 statement and as we’re all aware in that statement, there is a commitment by all six parties to move ahead on a peace regime for the Korean Peninsula to replace an armistice,” he said.

“So once we have been able to reconvene the six-party talks and begin to gain significant traction on the issue of denuclearization, I would expect that we will all be prepared to discuss the evolution of a negotiation for a peace regime for the Korean Peninsula,” he added.

Bosworth’s meeting with DPRK top leader Kim Jong-il, however, was not realized, as the U.S. did not ask for it, Bosworth said.

Nor did he carry a special message from President Obama, he added.

Other sensitive issues, such as the DPRK’s uranium enrichment and the inter-Korean summit, were not brought up during the talks, the U.S. envoy told the press, when inquired.

According to the U.S. envoy, his trip to Pyongyang was made in purpose of facilitating the resumption of the six-party denuclearization talks, as well as reaffirming the goal of fully implementing the Joint Statement of September 2005.

“It is important to point out that these were exploratory talks, not negotiations. It is certainly our hope, based on these discussions in Pyongyang, that the six-party talks can resume expeditiously and that we can get back to the important work of denuclearization,” he said.

The two sides, however, did not come up with a follow-up bilateral meeting, Bosworth said when inquired whether there was a discussion on the timing and the level of additional meetings.

MEDIA, EXPERT EVALUATIONS

South Korean media were cautious about giving evaluations on the result of Bosworth’s trip, saying it was a “partial” success, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency said.

“Although the two sides have not reached a significant breakthrough, it is still meaningful in that the trip marks the first U.S.-DPRK dialogue and that they have reached a common understanding,” Yonhap said.

Considering that Bosworth stressed key points of the 2005 Joint Statement, such as denuclearization, peace regime, six-party talks, and financial support, the bilateral discussions may have included the “Grand Bargain” as a main agenda item for the negotiation table, Yonhap said.

However, Bosworth’s trip did not bring forth a fundamental progress, said the media, as the DPRK did not clarify on whether it would return to the six-party negotiation table.

It is highly likely that the DPRK claimed to prioritize the peace treaty and normalization of the U.S.-DPRK relations over the need and importance of the six-party talks, Yonhap said.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s news channel YTN reported it became more probable that the DPRK would return to the six-party talks after Bosworth’s trip, quoting its source in the presidential office.

Local dailies were divided in their reactions towards Bosworth’s trip, with the Kookmin Daily calling it “a meaningful progress in denuclearization,” whereas Hankyoreh saying “it was a silent meeting.”

Local experts were similar in responses, with many saying it is too early to call the results of Bosworth’s trip a success or failure.

Kim Yong-hyun, professor at the Dongkook University, said it was not a failure though it did not come up with immediate, tangible results.

“The trip can be called meaningful as the discussions held were ’exploratory’ enough,” Kim said.

Yoo Ho-yeol, professor of North Korean studies at the Korea University, also called the dialogue “not bad,” saying it did not cause any new troubles.

Although Bosworth said there was no such discussion, local media and experts, in one voice, speculated that there would be a follow-up meeting in the near future, with some forecasting it is likely to be held in the first quarter of next year.

Bosworth, who is set to leave Seoul on Friday, will travel to Beijing, Tokyo and Moscow, in order to brief other members of the six-party talks on the results, and return back to the U.S. next week.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet

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