S Korea: North will gain from nuclear agreement
North Korea’s path to prosperity lies in implementing the promise it made at international disarmament talks to abandon its nuclear programmes, South Korean Finance Minister Han Duck-soo said today.
“We believe, and we presume, that there is a very high possibility for success because there is so much at stake on the part of North Korea to realise the contents of the six-party talks,” Han told a gathering of foreign business associations and diplomats.
Separately, South Korea’s point man on North Korea said today the next round of talks should resume in about a week.
“The six-way talks are supposed to be held around November 9,” Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said in a speech, adding that consultations are under way among the participants on how to advance the talks.
His remarks came a day after Japanese media reported that China had proposed starting the next round on November 9 in Beijing.
South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said host China would announce specific dates after consulting its dialogue partners, which along with the two Koreas includes Japan, Russia and the US.
Ban expects a short session before a recess because the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum is scheduled for November 18-19 in Busan, South Korea.
China said yesterday it was trying to get agreement for a start date within the next 10 days following President Hu Jintao’s visit to North Korea, and the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s promise to return to the talks.
The six nations have been negotiating with North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions since 2003.
Those efforts achieved their first success in September when the North promised to abandon its nuclear programmes in return for economic aid, security assurances and diplomatic recognition.
But the communist country quickly imposed conditions, demanding a civilian nuclear reactor for power generation. Washington has rejected the demand.
South Korea is drafting a roadmap on how to implement the agreement reached at the latest round of talks and conveyed its proposal to the US, according to Chung. He didn’t elaborate.
Seoul has said it is ready to provide massive amounts of aid, including electricity, to the North if there is an agreement on its nuclear programme.
“Certainly we should incorporate North Korea into the international community” if it abides by the agreement, said Finance Minister Han. “That means some kind of market opening for North Korea is the only crucial way for us to ensure that North Korea will not be left behind and North Korea can make prosperity possible.”
Also today, the North denounced the US for freezing US-based assets of eight North Korean entities, describing the move as “pouring cold water” on its “sincere” efforts toward the next round of talks, the official Rodong Sinmun daily said in a Korean-language commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency. The North also threatened unspecified counter-measures.
Last month, Washington prohibited transactions between the companies and US citizens and froze any assets they may have under US jurisdiction.
