North Korea calls U.S. agenda for
resumption of talks unacceptable
By Jim Lea, Osan bureau chief
North Korean officials on Wednesday again denounced the Bush administration’s call
to resume talks, saying the agenda items Washington has proposed are unacceptable.
Rodong Shinmun, the daily newspaper of the North’s ruling Workers Party, accused
the United States of violating normal diplomatic practice by "unilaterally adopting
agenda items without any prior discussion with [the North] and opening them to the public
as agreed items."
The charge was included in a commentary carried by the state-operated Korean Central
News Agency and monitored in Seoul.
"This is rude behavior in … the norms of international relations and
diplomatic practice calling for impartiality and equality and a sort of pressure and
affront to the dialogue partner," the newspaper said.
Washington and Pyongyang appeared to be nearing closer to resuming relations in the
final days of the Clinton administration with visits by high-ranking officials to each
other’s capitals, and Clinton relaxing some long-standing U.S. sanctions against the
North.
Clinton also was considering an invitation to visit to Pyongyang, but eventually
declined shortly before leaving office.
President Bush suspended talks with the North when he entered office, saying he was
skeptical of the North Korean leadership and some steps that had been taken by Clinton to
improve relations. That angered Pyongyang officials, who claimed Washington had adopted a
hard line toward it. In retaliation, they cut all official contact with South Korea
although private, non-government contacts have continued.
On June 6, Bush announced that the U.S. policy review had been completed, and he was
ready to resume talks with Pyongyang.
He said in the announcement that the United States wanted to focus new talks on the
North’s nuclear program, on reducing Pyongyang’s missile production and exports,
and on reducing the North’s conventional weapons arsenal.
U.S. and North Korean officials met two weeks ago in New York to discuss an agenda for
renewed talks, but no decisions were made. State Department officials said they expected
to have further meetings, but a schedule has not been announced.
Exactly what the new U.S. policy toward the North will be has not been detailed, but
U.S. and South Korean analysts have said it apparently includes a demand for greater
reciprocity from Pyongyang.
The Rodong Shinmun commentary said reduction of the North’s conventional forces
"can never become an object of discussion" between Washington and Pyongyang. The
North says only it and South Korea will discuss disarmament, and only after the 37,000
U.S. troops based in the South are withdrawn.
The newspaper commentary also said "unpractical and unreasonable issues raised by
the U.S. can never be agenda items" of negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington.
It also reiterated Pyongyang’s demand that the North be compensated by the United
States for delays in building two nuclear power plants.
U.S. officials have said they will not pay compensation.
Back to June stories
Page Two news roundup
Stories from May, 2001
Stories from April, 2001
Stories from March, 2001
Stories from February,2001
Stories from January, 2001
Stories from December, 2000
Stories from November, 2000
Stories from October, 2000
Stories from August and September, 2000
Stories from June and July, 2000
Home |
