[imText1]The second phase of the 5th rounds of the six party talks which opened in Beijing ended on the 22nd with the little progress and only the U.S. and North Korea stating their conflicting opinions.
While the U.S. presented an official proposal complete with details on the preliminary and responsive measures for the destruction of North Korea’s nukes, North Korea focused on the resolution of BDA and the removal of sanctions.
Participating members of the talks convened for an assembly on the final afternoon and though efforts were made to adjust to each position, the talks ended with a reconfirmation that it had merely begun. On conclusion of the talks, it appears that China will announce in its official statement of satisfaction in confirming the position of participating member states and a promise to reconvene the talks for the third phase of the 5th rounds in January.
The U.S. representative who showed a strong desire to advance the negotiations specifically by providing compensation in return for the dismantling of nukes displayed a rather frustrated look. Though the talks strived for a resolution, it seems that the talks were rather full of disappointment with the head representative of the U.S. Christopher Hill indicating there was no break through.
He also remarked that North Korean representatives had received orders not to officially speak on the six party talk agenda until the BDA issue has been resolved in Pyongyang and that though Kim Kye Gwan North Korea’s representative had shown interest in the U.S. offer for the dismantle of nukes, Pyongyang has sent directives to speak of none other than the BDA.
Representative Hill clearly distinguished between denuclearization and BDA negotiations “We did not come to discuss BDA” elucidating that the BDA has been agreed to be resolved through other mechanisms.
In the beginning, North Korea had tried to merge the BDA talks with the six party talks in Beijing. North Korea clearly displayed a position that discussions on denuclearization were associated with finding a resolution to end the BDA issue.
Refuting on behalf of the North’s position, the Chosun Courier belonging to the same chain of Jochongnyeon (General Association of Korean Residents in Japan) revealed “Chosun (North Korea) will discern on adjusting to U.S. policies after measures have been taken to remove economic sanctions” and “We are relaying to the U.S. that a commitment to denuclearize can only be motioned and supposed once this issue has been resolved.”
In his keynote address, North Korean representative Kim Kye Gwan said on the 18th “At the present stage, it is inevitable to request talks on nuclear disarmaments, once the issue of nuclear weapons is discussed in the talks.” Though this is North Korea’s negotiation strategy where all requests have been widespread strongly, the motives are driven to gain official status as a nuclear possessing state.
It is prospected that North Korea will further openly claim itself to be a nuclear possessing state. Undoubtedly, using the concept of negotiations, it is anticipated that North Korea will continue to attend the six party talks trying to evade additional sanctions by the international community, while it straps China and South Korea together.
Though the U.S. was in the spotlight at this round of talks for its preliminary proposal to progress the negotiations, it appears that North Korea’s push for the removal of sanctions and its claim of a nuclear state is caught on the reefs. Until the leaders of Pyongyang differentiate the negotiations from BDA with the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the future of the talks is gloomy.
If at the third phase of talks North Korea continues to request for the removal of sanctions and ignores negotiations of it’s nukes, it is possible that intolerable remarks will increase within the U.S.
