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US Secretary of State

By Park Hyun, Washington correspondent

In response to North Korea’s foreign ministry placing preconditions on talks with the US, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that the conditions would not be accepted. At the same time, he sees the North Korean actions as an early sign that they want to negotiate.

On Apr. 18 (EST), Secretary of State Kerry attended a hearing for the Foreign Relations Committee of the US Senate. At the hearing, he noted that it was after his visit to Northeast Asia that the North Korean foreign ministry laid down the conditions that it says are necessary for negotiations. "That's the first word of negotiation or thought of that we've heard from them since all of this has begun,” Kerry said.

The conditions that Kerry mentioned appear to be a reference to the conditions for talks in the statement released by the North Korean foreign ministry on Apr. 16. These were “respect for sovereignty and the principle of equality” and “abandoning the hostile policies toward North Korea and blackmail about nuclear war.”

In regard to this, Kerry said, “I'm prepared to look at that as, you know, at least a beginning gambit - not acceptable, obviously, and we have to go further."

While the US is unable to accept this kind of request from the North, it is taking this as an indication that North Korea is willing to take part in talks. It is understood that the US is ready to push for more progress.

On the same day, Josh Earnest, deputy press secretary for the White House, was asked about the country’s reaction to the preconditions North Korea had placed on talks. “The United States has been and remains open to authentic and credible negotiations that would implement the September 2005 statement of the Six-Party talks,” Earnest said. “But we also need to see some clear evidence that the North Koreans themselves are willing to live up to their international obligations, are willing to demonstrate their commitment to ending the nuclear program…and we haven’t seen that thus far.”

When Earnest was asked if he had reported this to US President Barack Obama, he said, “I haven’t had the chance to speak to the President about it, but I can give you a White House reaction.”

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