“Upbeat” nuclear talks begin in Beijing
High ranking US and North Korean officials yesterday met on the fringes of six-nation talks in Beijing on Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions, signalling the first major rapprochement since the stand-off began about two years ago.
The nuclear crisis erupted in October 2002 when the US said North Korea admitted to enriching uranium, a violation of the 1994 nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Officials from China, the US, Russia, Japan, North Korea and South Korea are taking part in the series of meetings that are scheduled to last until Friday.
The ministerial meeting on Wednesday lasted nearly three hours.
Though Washington ruled out invading the reclusive communist state, it warned North Korea to dismantle its nuclear activities.
US envoy James Kelly, in a statement at the start of the main talks, called on Pyongyang to completely, irreversibly and verifiably dismantle its nuclear weapons programmes, both plutonium and uranium.
Meanwhile, South Korea has reportedly offered compensation to its neighbour if it shelves its nuclear programmes.
Lee Soo-hyuck, Seoul’s deputy foreign minister, said the mood was “cool and businesslike” around the hexagonal table built for the talks.
It remains to be seen whether North Korea will change its stance on firstly receiving US compensation and assistance before ending its nuclear plans.
