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When the
nuclear crisis started in October 2002, it was agreed that the nuclear
issue in the Korean Peninsula should be solved through diplomacy; on the
beginning the DPRK wanted bilateral talks with the U.S. but finally accepted
multilateral talks, in April 2003 the DPRK, the U.S. and China held
trilateral talks and it was decided that along with South Korea, Japan and
Russia would join the next multilateral talks, hence the emergence of the
six-party talks as a process aimed to a peaceful settlement of the nuclear
standoff in the Korean peninsula.
The 1st
meeting between the countries concerned (the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea, the Republic of Korea, the United States of America, the Popular
Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and Japan) held in Beijing the
capital of China from August the 27th to August 29th
at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse; Heads of the delegations to the talks were
Wang Yi, Chinese vice-foreign minister, Kim Yong Il, DPRK deputy foreign
minister, James Kelly, assistant US secretary of state for East Asian and
Pacific Affairs, Alexander Losiukov, Russian deputy foreign minister, Lee
Soo-Hyuck, ROK deputy minister of foreign affairs and trade, and Mitoji
Yabunaka, director-general for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the
Foreign Ministry of Japan.
It was not
expected that talks would yield concrete accomplishments, but the meeting
provided in opportunity to all sides (especially the DPRK and the U.S.) to
present their views and to hear from each others.
All parties
reiterated that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the common goal
of all sides, and the nuclear issue should be solved peacefully through
diplomatic means, however the principled stance of the U.S. and North Korea
were diametrically opposite, the DPRK wanted security guarantees and linked
the dismantling of its nuclear program to a non-aggression treaty, the U.S.
meanwhile wanted the DPRK to take first irreversible steps to dismantle its
nuclear program in exchange for a package of incentives that comprises an
end to a long-standing trade embargo and U.S. assistance in helping North
Korea secure loans from international lending institutions such as the
International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank, however the
U.S. did not agree to provide bilateral security guarantees; instead it
offered a written multilateral security assurance within step by step
process during the denuclearization; North Korea from its part put forward a
proposal that contains U.S. signing of a non-aggression treaty with the
DPRK, the establishment of diplomatic relations with the DPRK, the guarantee
of DPRK-Japan and inter-Korean economic cooperation, the completion of
light-water reactors, In return, the DPRK will not manufacture nuclear
weapons and allow in inspection, realise the ultimate dismantlement of
nuclear facilities and stop the export and experiment of missiles,
Kim Yong Il,
head of the DPRK delegation to the talks, clarified the principle of
"simultaneous actions,"
Firstly, the
DPRK would show its intention to abandon the nuclear program after the
United States resumes provision of heavy oil and humanitarian food to the
DPRK, he said.
To follow,
the DPRK would allow inspection, monitoring and a freeze of its nuclear
facilities if the United States signs a non-aggression treaty with the DPRK,
he said.
In the third
step, the DPRK would settle the missile problem after the realization of
diplomatic relations with the United States and Japan, he said.
Lastly, the
DPRK would ultimately dismantle nuclear facilities upon the completion of
the light-water reactors.
The
"denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula is the general goal of the DPRK,
Kim said. "It is not the DPRK's goal to have nuclear weapons."
If the
nuclear issue between the DPRK and the United States is to be peacefully
settled through dialogue, the United States should make a radical switchover
in its policy toward the DPRK, Kim said.
This was a
master key to and a precondition for the settlement of the nuclear issue, he
added.
The DPRK and
the United States should simultaneously show their determination to
eliminate each other's "concerns", Kim said.
If the United
States clearly shows its determination to abolish its anti-DPRK policy, the
DPRK will show its intention to abandon the nuclear program in return, he
added.
At a press
conference held Friday afternoon following the six-party talks, Chinese Vice
Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also China's chief negotiator to the talks, said
the six parties have reached the following six-point consensus on the Korean
nuclear issue:
·
to
resolve the nuclear issue through peaceful means and dialogue. They stressed
that the stability and long-term peace should be maintained on the Korean
Peninsula;
·
while nuclear-free of the Korean Peninsula should be realized, the security
concerns of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) should also be
taken into consideration;
·
to
explore an overall plan to resolve the nuclear issue in a just and
reasonable manner;
·
in
the process of negotiations any action that may aggravate the situation
should be avoided;
·
dialogue should continue to establish trust, reduce differences and broaden
common ground;
·
the
six-party talks should continue and the specific date and venue should be
decided through diplomatic channels as soon as possible. |
