Optimism for disarming North Korea

Thursday, 8 February 2007 Six-nation talks toward halting North Korea's nuclear weapons program have restarted in Beijing, China. Amid a more positive mood, the USA is hoping to reach a significant agreement this year.

Negotiators from China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the USA met with their counterparts from North Korea on 8 February in the first round of talks this year. The deal they must reach will likely be similar to a failed September 2005 bargain which aimed to have North Korea "abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes" and re-sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty "at an early date" in exchange for energy assistance, economic aid and security assurances.

Of principle concern is the shutdown of the Yongbyong plutonium production reactor and re-admittance of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to North Korea, while that country would like to be supplied with energy staples on the scale of 500,000 tonnes of fuel oil per year, or the resumption of a project to build two light-water nuclear power plants.

Talks have been effectively at a standstill since North Korea reneged on the 2005 deal, complaining of American sanctions on its bank accounts abroad. It went on to conduct a partially successful nuclear weapons test in October 2006. In January this year, US negotiators met with their North Korean counterparts in what was reportedly a positive discussion in Berlin.

Now, chief US negotiator Christopher Hill has said: "The big question is whether the North Koreans are ready to make some progress. We did have some good signs in Berlin, but I think we also know that there is going to be some rather hard bargaining."

A South Korean official reportedly said: "We are looking for a document to be produced. If there is no document, there will be trouble."

North Korea's veteran negotiator Kim Kye Gwan said: "We are prepared to discuss first stage measures. I'm not either optimistic or pessimistic because there are still many points of confrontation to resolve"

US State Department documents indicate the country's leaders want to wrap up nuclear negotiations with North Korea this year before moving onto missile control talks, but any nuclear agreement would have to be implemented in stages.

First, activities at known facilities must be frozen, before other facilities and capabilities are be fully declared. Then, painstaking inspections must verify declarations before facilities are dismantled and materials made safe.

Further information

International Atomic Energy Agency and North Korea

WNN: $1.9 billion compensation demanded of North Korea