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U.S. hints to consider plan on Korean nuke issue
(Agenices)
Updated: 2004-02-24 11:17

North Korea has offered to abolish its nuclear weapons program, Japanese officials say, and the United States has hinted at new flexibility to resolve the crisis ahead of multi-nation talks this week.

The apparent progress towards a resolution of the 16-month standoff comes amid a wave of last minute diplomacy as international delegations arrived in Beijing for a second round of talks on the issue.

For its part, North Korea has pledged to work towards a "good result," saying the circumstances of Wednesday's six-party talks -- involving North and South Korea, China, Russia, Japan and the United States -- are better than the previous round last August, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.


U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly (R) and Japanese Foreign Ministry Director General Mitoji Yabunaka (L) are escorted by South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck before a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, February 23, 2004.  [Reuters]

"We appreciate the efforts done by the Chinese side. We will do our best to make a good result at the talks," North Korea's chief talks delegate Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan was quoted as saying to Wu Donghe, the Chinese ambassador to North Korea, by Xinhua.

The previous six-way meet, also hosted in Beijing, made little progress apart from a loose commitment to meet again, with Washington and Pyongyang both refusing to back down on nuclear issues.

Since the crisis flared up in October 2002, Pyongyang has said it will freeze its nuclear activities in return for economic and fuel aid, a security guarantee from the United States not to attack and other concessions.

Washington, which has said it will not be blackmailed, wants North Korea to first scrap its nuclear programs.

But ahead of this week's talks, there have been hints of both sides softening their stance.

Japanese officials quoted Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi as saying North Korea has expressed "readiness" to abolish its nuclear program, in comments carried in the Japanese media.

"He said North Korea had expressed to China its readiness to completely abandon its nuclear development, and said that the freeze was premised on that," Aisawa said in a broadcast on the NHK network.

S. KOREAN PLAN

South Korea's Lee with Japanese Foreign Ministry Director General Mitoji Yabunaka.

Meanwhile, the United States is considering a South Korean proposal to encourage the North to end its nuclear weapons program.

South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck outlined the three phases of the plan to reporters on Monday after meeting with U.S. and Japanese officials.

Phase 1: North Korea declares its willingness to dismantle its nuclear program and the U.S. states its readiness to provide security guarantees.

Phase 2: North Korea would take the first step towards dismantling its programs by freezing its nuclear activities. Once verified by inspections, "corresponding measures" such as energy aid and other rewards would follow.

Phase 3: The complete dismantling of North Korea's nuclear facilities is verified and all other related issues resolved.

The United States has not commented on the plan, similar to one put forward by Seoul at last August's talks.

Despite the apparent show of flexibility hopes for the talks are muted.

A potential breakdown point could be demands by the United States that Pyongyang end not only its plutonium program but also its other bomb-making scheme using uranium.

North Korea has publicly denied having a uranium project and it is not clear whether a pledge to freeze its nuclear program was referring to just its plutonium facilities.

Some diplomats fear a breakdown in dialogue if the North continues to deny the existence of a second program.

The United States said Pyongyang officials acknowledged such a program in October 2002 when confronted with evidence from U.S. officials, but later denied it in the face of international criticism.

U.S. officials believe North Korea has at least one or two nuclear bombs made from plutonium but some experts doubt it has the ability to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile.

North Korea has claimed to have reprocessed 8,000 spent plutonium fuel rods at its main Yongbyon reactor -- enough to build up to six nuclear devices.

 
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