Hill Hopes Yongbyon Facility Will Be Disabled

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the U.S. chief nuclear negotiator, said on Monday, ”We hope that by the end of the calendar year, the second phase measures of the February 13 agreement, which include disabling the Yongbyon facility and reporting all nuclear programs, will be implemented.”

Hill added at a press conference at the State Department, “If all goes well, a multilateral forum will be held this year addressing the disabled Yongbyon facility, peace talks on the Korean peninsula, the six-party talks, and the Northeast Asia security process. The major issue in 2008 is ‘complete denuclearization.’ This means giving up existing nuclear weapons, nuclear materials, and triggering devices. This will lead to a mutual agreement and the normalization of relations between the U.S. and North Korea.”

He said that since the North said it has only a heavy oil capacity of 50,000 tons per month, alternative ways such as providing electricity other than heavy oil or repairing power plants are being discussed.

His visit to the North was unexpected because his invitation was delivered in a message to him via New York during his visit to Asian countries early last week. He also mentioned that no further developments are available regarding a possible visit by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Pyongyang.

sechepa@donga.com