U.S.-N.Korea Talks Manage to Progress

The United States and North Korea made a considerable progress in their talks in Geneva to deal with the communist country’s nuclear issues on Thursday. But, the two sides are still short of reaching an agreement.

In a press conference after the bilateral talks, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said, “A complete and correct declaration is the key to moving to the next phase.” However, he stressed that the U.S. would put a higher priority on the substance over the format, suggesting that it would be a little flexible toward North Korea’s declaration of uranium enrichment program (UEP) and nuclear technology transfer to Syria.

Hill added, “The U.S. and North Korea have not reached an agreement. We’re going to report to capitals and see where we are tomorrow and the next day.”

After having an 11-hour-long meeting with North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Kwan at the Offices of the U.S. Representatives and North Korea Representatives and a nearby restaurant in Geneva, Hill held the press conference around midnight and explained developments.

Before having dinner with Hill, Kim said, “I’m satisfied with the results.” However, he did not provide details.

During the press conference, Hill said, “The talks in Geneva on Thursday were probably the most substantive that Washington has had with Pyongyang since December. And, we are in a better position now than when we arrived. However, I don’t want to suggest that we’ve paved the way and are waiting for the cement to dry. I think there is more work to be done.”

Hill suggested that the bilateral talks are getting sensitive enough to be recognized by capitals, saying, “Negotiations are similar to games, which are getting harder to finish as they progress. We’re heading toward a more difficult negotiation.”

On Thursday, representatives of the U.S. and North Korea held a one-hour meeting at the Office of the U.S. Representatives from 12:35 p.m., had lunch separately and held another talks for four hours at the Office of North Korea Representatives from 4:30 p.m. The two parties moved to a restaurant nearby Parc des Eaux-Vives and held a final negotiation over dinner from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Earlier that day, Hill hinted at the possibility that he would have an additional meeting with his North Korean counterpart before flying to Warsaw, Poland. However, he said, “I don’t have any plan to hold additional talks tomorrow,” at the conference.

Around 60 reporters from across the world participated in Hill’s press conference at the Office of the U.S. Representatives held around midnight.

On Oct. 3, 2007, the six-party negotiators reached an agreement under which North Korea should dismantle all of its nuclear facilities and declare its nuclear programs in a complete manner by the end of last year. However, North Korea has not followed the agreement. The U.S. promised to remove the communist regime from its list of states sponsoring terrorism, terminate the application of the Trading with the Enemy Act with respect to North Korea and provide heavy oil and food, if North Korea fulfills its promise.

pisong@donga.com