The possibility of a third round of U.S.-North Korea dialogue happening this month is being raised, with a South Korean government official saying yesterday that North Korea may be prepared to suspend its Uranium Enrichment Program, the core of the denuclearization process, and accept the return of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors in exchange for the U.S. providing food assistance.
The U.S. point man on North Korea, Glyn Davis arrived in Beijing yesterday. At the same time, Ri Gun, the point man on North Korea-U.S. affairs in the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also arrived in the city by Air Koryo from Pyongyang, raising eyebrows.
It had seemed likely that 2011 would end without further official discourse between the two sides; however, it appears there has been a narrowing of differences between the two through the so-called ‘New York channel’, the North Korean mission to the UN.
Adding weight to the rumors, Davis, on the day before, told the press in Japan that the U.S. could soon be ready to reassess North Korea’s calls to restart the Six-Party Talks, but added, “We are not there. We still have some ground to cover.”
