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Issues at six-country talks on nuclear-free N.Korea
04 Aug 2005 02:47:42 GMT
Source: Reuters
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SEOUL, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons programmes entered their 10th day in Beijing with Pyongyang taking a tough line on U.S. demands for its disarmament. The previous three rounds of six-way discussions going back to 2003 saw little substantive progress, while disagreements, fresh demands and pitfalls bred complications. Following are key points about the Beijing talks. GIVE AND TAKE The basic premise is for North Korea to dismantle all nuclear weapons programmes in a verifiable and irreversible manner in exchange for much-needed aid for its moribund economy and security guarantees. THE ROUNDS China hosted three rounds of talks beginning in August 2003 with North and South Korea, the United States, Japan and Russia. It was not until the third round in June 2004 that substantive proposals were made. WHAT NORTH KOREA WANTS The North has sought energy aid, its removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and the lifting of all sanctions against it. It has said it wants to see those moves in return for a freeze of its nuclear programmes, before it begins dismantling them. Since March this year, the North has demanded the six-party process be turned into disarmament talks that would also discuss U.S. nuclear weapons it says are deployed in South Korea. Washington denies the existence of such weapons. Pyongyang has also repeated calls for a peace treaty with the United States. U.S. DEMANDS Washington wants to see the North begin dismantling all nuclear programmes, including one based on uranium enrichment technology, within three months of freezing them. It has not offered to be directly part of an energy aid package. SWEETENER Seoul said in July it would supply the North with 2,000 megawatts of electricity, roughly equivalent to present total power output in the impoverished communist state, if Pyongyang dismantled its nuclear programmes. STUMBLING BLOCKS Tokyo says the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by the North Koreans decades ago should be raised at the Beijing talks. Washington sees the need to include North Korea's record of human rights abuse on the table. Seoul has tried to keep this fourth talks session focused on the North's nuclear arms. ANOTHER BREAKDOWN? All the parties, including North Korea, say they are prepared to work for substantive progress. Another breakdown could mean the end of the six-party process and renewed U.S. calls to take the issue to the U.N. Security Council, which could impose sanctions. (Sources: South Korean Foreign Ministry, Reuters and other media reports)
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