hankyoreh

BEIJING, WASHINGTON - Just a few days ahead the six-party talks, set to open today, news from the United States has cast a cloud over agreements on North Korea’s nuclear disablement.

First of all, there are mixed signals coming out of the United States. In his speech at the United Nations on Tuesday, U.S. President George Bush said that all civilized nations should play a role in standing up for people suffering under brutal regimes, citing Belarus, North Korea, Syria and Iran. This is not the first time that Bush has expressed negative views about North Korea.

In discussing human rights, Bush mentioned violations in Myanmar, Cuba, Zimbabwe and Sudan, but he did not do so in connection with North Korea. Therefore, it is difficult to consider this as a negative factor for this week’s six-party talks.

Remarks made by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice show that she is emphasizing negotiation and dialogue with the Stalinist regime. In an interview with Reuters on September 24, she indicated that the United States may not necessarily link North Korea’s removal from the list of states supporting terrorism with the resolution of the Japanese abduction issue. She clarified that the Japanese abduction issue should not hinder negotiations between the United States and North Korea. She added that, if necessary, any possible incentives should be used in dealing with the North at this stage.

At the same time, the worldwide media have steadily reported allegations of nuclear cooperation between Syria and North Korea. Washington is seeking to impose sanctions on North Korean and Syrian entities connected to missile proliferation. If this happens, it will seem as though the United States intends to make the issue of the North Korea-Syria nuclear transaction the second Banco Delta Asia case.

In relation to talk of the nuclear transaction between the North and Syria, The Sunday Times of London reported that special military troops under Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak invaded a Syrian secret base and secured nuclear materials produced in North Korea on September 6, before the nation’s fighters bombed northeastern parts of Syria. According to the newspaper, Israel got U.S. approval for the attacks.

There are also critics who oppose removing North Korea from the blacklist. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida) proposed a bill early this week containing eight conditions against North Korea’s nuclear proliferation and its contributions to the spread of terrorism.

Seoul, however, is of the position that it should resolve the crisis by reaching an agreement on the North’s nuclear disablement during the upcoming six-party talks. It is unclear whether or not Pyongyang and Washington will be able to move toward mutual trust.

In reference to reports on North Korea’s nuclear cooperation with Syria, North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-kwan, who arrived in Beijing for the six-party talks on Tuesday, forcefully dismissed the allegations. Kim said, “The matter has been fabricated by lunatics, so you can ask them to explain it.”

The vice foreign minister stressed the importance of the upcoming talks, saying that if the six nations cannot reach an agreement during this round of negotiations, they will have to restart from the beginning.