No sign from NKorea on nuke talks: US Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Jul 26, 2006 North Korea has given no sign that it is willing to rejoin talks on its nuclear program on the sidelines of regional security talks here, US envoy Christopher Hill said Wednesday. Hill, who is pushing for the other five nations involved in the six-way talks to meet without the North if necessary, said the reclusive state should not be allowed to stand in the way of regional diplomacy. "As yet we do not have any signals from the DPRK that they intend to participate in any six-party discussions here in Kuala Lumpur," he said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "What I think is very important is that we not allow the DPRK to boycott the process and in so doing prevent countries that are interested in the future of the region from meeting," he said after talks with Chinese deputy foreign minister Wu Dawei. China and South Korea have argued that it would be problematic to hold five-way talks, and are making a united push to persuade the North to attend. Hill said he would also prefer a meeting attended by all six nations -- the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the US -- but did not rule out the prospect of other interested parties gathering. "Well if they don't come we're going to look at what we're going to do, but what we'd like to have is a good discussion with several countries -- I'm not going to tell you whether it's five or not -- with several countries to discuss the future of the region," he told reporters. "The DPRK knows they ought to come to the six-party talks, they have been encouraged to do so by the UN Security Council resolution... everyone supported that resolution," he said. Dawei, who is China's top negotiator on the North Korean nuclear issue, reiterated his hopes for a revival of the six-way talks, which have been stalled since November after the North protested over US financial sanctions. "We had a comprehensive exchange of views on the six-party talks, through our joint efforts, we hope the talks will be resumed at an early date," he told reporters. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links
Push for nuclear talks as NKorea slams 'imbecile' Rice Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Jul 25, 2006 South Korea said Tuesday efforts are under way to hold six-nation talks on the North's nuclear ambitions, at an Asian security forum where the issue promises to dominate the agenda. |
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