[USFK Forums] INTERVIEW: North Korea seeks nuclear talks return - South [Reuters]

[C. Y. Lee]

Uploaded by C. Y. Lee on Friday, March 24, 2006

INTERVIEW - North Korea seeks nuclear talks return - South

Thursday March 23, 6:28 PM

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SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea appears to be signalling a desire to return to stalled six-country talks on its nuclear programmes and to be interested in breaking the deadlock, South Korea's foreign minister said on Thursday.

Ban Ki-moon -- a candidate for the post of U.N. secretary-general -- also told Reuters a visit next month by Chinese President Hu Jintao to the United States could help create the right atmosphere for the nuclear talks to resume.

Ban said North Korea had unfortunately linked U.S. action against Pyongyang's alleged counterfeiting of dollars to the six-party talks, which have been stalled since last November.

U.S. and North Korean officials met earlier this month to discuss the evidence Washington says it has of illicit activities by the North. Those activities include money laundering and drug trafficking as well as counterfeiting currency.

"We hope that North Koreans have realised all the serious implications of all these illicit activities," the minister said. "It seems to us the North Koreans are also very much interested in making a breakthrough in this stalled, deadlocked situation."

But he said it was impossible to say now when the talks might resume.
"Let us see. I am not in a position at this time to give you any positive dates or timeline but we are trying to do our best," he said in an interview at his ministry in central Seoul.

He said North Korea had recently declared its willingness to adopt international financial regulations, join a financial task force and punish anyone involved in the drug trade.

"These kind of announcements and measures taken by North Korea seem to suggest they are trying to send out some messages to us, particularly the United States," Ban said. "We need to be creative and try to be flexible to make this process resume and continue."

North Korea has stated in recent weeks it would be unthinkable to return to the nuclear talks while Washington is trying to topple its leaders through the financial measures. It has also used trademark rhetoric to criticise the United States.

"The DPRK will bolster up its military deterrent to counter the daily escalating moves of the U.S. for aggression," the official KCNA news agency quoted the main North Korean newspaper as saying on Thursday. DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

CONVERGENCE OF OPINIONS

Ban said U.S. authorities were scrutinising documents taken from Macau's Banco Delta Asia. Washington suspects the bank helped launder North Korean funds from illicit activities.

"We hope that they will be able to finish this process as soon as possible and try to take some necessary actions," said Ban, referring to easing of restrictions on the bank.

"In such a case I think the North Koreans may be interested in trying to come back to the dialogue table."

Ban said the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe -- the world's largest regional security organisation -- offered a possible example for how North Asian countries could work together once the nuclear crisis was resolved.

"We can have more or less a convergence of opinions on this idea, on this concept. I think it is a concept at this time that we have not tried to realise. We first of all have to see the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue," he said.

Asked about his campaign to succeed Kofi Annan as U.N. secretary-general, Ban said it was not an Asian virtue to sing one's praises but it was Asia's turn to run the organisation for the first time in more than three decades.

"Asia, comprising 3 billion people and 52 countries, I think, should be able to produce a credible and qualified candidate who could really serve as a distinguished secretary-general," he said.

"I can tell you generally I have been receiving favourable and positive responses, but I need to continue this kind of process until such time when member countries, the United Nations, will select somebody."



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