Ambassador Stephen Bosworth, Washington’s point man on North Korea, spoke for the first time on his whistle stop tour of Asia Thursday. Announcing that he had had “very good meetings” with his Chinese counterparts, Bosworth moved to reiterate the U.S.’ “desire to engage both multilaterally and bilaterally with North Korea.”
“We believe strongly that the solution to the tensions and problems of the area now lies in dialogue and negotiation,” he continued after meeting with Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi.
Ambassador Bosworth also met his counterpart at the Six-Party Talks, Wu Dawei. He will be travelling to Seoul for a 6 P.M meeting with the South Korean Minister of Unification on Friday, before moving on to Tokyo and Moscow next week.
A high official in the Lee administration said regarding Bosworth’s impending visit to Seoul, “We will evaluate the latest situation surrounding North Korea and discuss countermeasures with him.” He conceded, “The possibility of suggesting any tangible solutions at the oncoming meetings is practically low,” but asserted, “an emphatic agreement on the North Korean withdrawal from the Six-Party Talks, and countermeasures to it, will be formed.”
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that she realized the need to “show some patience” in attempting to draw North Korea back into negotiations. Speaking at a joint press conference with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, Clinton nevertheless reinforced once again the U.S. belief that “we have to try to get the North Koreans back into the Six-Party Talk framework and continue the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” She also rejected the idea of personally travelling to Pyongyang, saying she had “no plans” for such a move.
