#13 - RW 272
Moscow News
September 3-9, 2003
CONFLICTING REPORTS ON NK TALKS
Andrei Kirillov

There was an element of mystery at the six-nation negotiations on the DPRKs nuclear program that ended last Friday in Beijing. Oddly enough, diplomats from different countries who took part in the three-day conference read each others comments differently. Reporters covering the meeting produced conflicting reports while citing "reliable" and "informed" sources.

Thus, Russian experts are convinced that Pyongyang has no nuclear weapons although it could acquire relevant technology as a result of research. At the very worst, Moscow admits, North Korea could have some "nuclear device" that cannot be called a weapon in the full sense of the word.

By contrast, U.S. intelligence services believe that the Kim Jong Il regime already has at least one nuclear bomb or warhead as well as delivery vehicles.

What North Korean representatives themselves said about the DPRKs nuclear program is shrouded in mystery. According to one Russian source, North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Yong Il said that his country "has no nuclear weapons nor the intention to develop them." Later on RF Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov expanded on the statement, revealing that his North Korean counterpart said "the DPRK is interested in denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and does not aspire to nuclear status."

The Americans, however, heard something entirely different. According to AP citing a U.S. administration official who asked that his name not be disclosed, DPRK representatives told their negotiating partners about Pyongyangs intention to officially declare that it had nuclear weapons and was going to test them. He said Kim Jong Il also notified U.S., Chinese, Russian, South Korean, and Japanese officials that Pyongyang had nuclear delivery vehicles.

It seems that this is not a matter of listening comprehension problems that different countries may have, but a matter of position. Russia and China, which in effect acted as one, are not interested to see the situation near their border aggravate. Likewise South Korea does not want any complications: A first strike by North Koreans on Seoul could kill up to 300,000 people. Japan also sides with the "moderates."

On the other hand, the Washington and Pyongyang delegations predictably adopted opposite positions. The DPRK only envisions resolution of the nuclear problem through consistent concessions on the part of the United States, the DPRK Foreign Ministry said. Pyongyang demanded the signing of a non-aggression pact, establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and the DPRK, economic cooperation with Japan and South Korea, and provision of light-water reactors to meet North Koreas energy needs. In response, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly urged North Koreans to liquidate their nuclear program in an irreversible and verifiable way as a prerequisite to discussing a normalization of bilateral relations. Furthermore, once the DPRK has scaled down its nuclear program, the United States intends to raise the question of stopping production and export of missiles, reducing conventional weapons, and observance of human rights. Only once these problems have been addressed is Washington prepar ed to open discussions on the normalization of relations.

Pyongyang took these conditions as a demand of complete disarmament without any guarantees on the U.S. part. "This shows that Washington has no intention either of normalizing relations or of revising its hostile policy toward the DPRK," the North Korean Foreign Ministry stressed. "Well have to strengthen our nuclear forces to protect our sovereignty," the DPRK foreign policy department threatened.

The last day of negotiations proved the most difficult. At a certain point some media outlets filed flash reports saying that the North Korean representative had apparently walked out of the conference hall, terminating the negotiations. Later on, however, a Russian diplomat said that was not the case and that "everything passed as planned." The tortuous negotiations were over although no final document was adopted. Still, according to the Chinese hosts, agreement was reached to continue the dialogue, possibly in two months, again in Beijing.

Russia is committed to working hard to settle Pyongyangs nuclear problem, Alexander Losyukov said before flying back to Moscow. "No one expects a dramatic breakthrough in the North Korean situation," he told reporters. "There will be plenty of long, tedious work, but there is no other way out. The alternative is confrontation and use of force, which is unacceptable to anyone," the diplomat stressed.

CDI Russia Weekly #272 ~ Contents   •  Next