Multilateral Talks on NK Nuclear Program to Begin in Two Weeks

Charles Kartman (picture), executive director of the Korean Energy Development Organization (KEDO), said that he expects multilateral talks on North Korea`s nuclear weapons program to begin in two weeks.

Kartman, currently visiting South Korea for an international conference and talks told Reuters that it wouldn`t take long to bring the communist north to the table. “I expect the first meeting to take place quite soon,” he said, on North Korea`s shift from insistence on strictly bilateral talks with the United States. However, he stated that it would be a “potentially long road to a deal.”

“We are positive about seeing the multilateral discussion held in a couple of days,” Howard Baker, U.S. ambassador to Japan said on Monday, as reported by Japanese media today.

Meanwhile, the Japan-U.S.-ROK Trilateral Coordination and Oversight Group (TCOG) meeting will be held in Seoul within this month, reported Mainichi Newspaper on Tuesday.

Also, the Japanese government plans to propose talks to be held next month in Beijing, China with participation of U.S., South Korean, North Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Russian delegates.

“The multilateral talks will be held after the Korea-U.S. summit talks” on May 15, South Korean Officials said on Tuesday. Aside from the TCOG meeting, the South Korean government plans to create additional channels of dialogue and discuss the form and substance of the discussions.

“We read North Korea`s statement with interest, and we are responding to it through proper diplomatic channels,” State Department spokesman Philip T. Reeker said on Monday.

However, Reeker responded cautiously by saying that at the moment, he could not give further details on measures to be taken as it would take a few days to analyze the situation.

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