Preparing For Six-Party Talks Is Like Herding Cats

Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly, a U.S. delegate, bared his heart on Tuesday, saying diplomatic negotiations in the second round of six-party talks to solve the North Korean nuclear crisis is quite complicated. He added that it was like herding cats, meaning hard to organize and move forward.

Kelly mentioned this in a press conference after consulting with South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-Hyuck and Japanese Director General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Mitoji Yabunaka on the new round of six-way talks in Washington.

He said, “Six nations are taking part in these negotiations on a very critical agenda, and it is a very tough process. As one of my colleagues illustrated today, to discuss every detail is like herding cats.”

He added that, “We’ve met 10 times so far and have made progress each time, but we still have a long way to go, so we were not able to schedule a date for the next round of talks yet.”