Agence France-Presse,
Beijing: North Korea may still declare all of its nuclear weapons and disable them this year even though no deadline was agreed upon at six-nation talks that ended here Friday, the US envoy said. “My opinion remains the same. All of this is do-able by the end of the year,” Christopher Hill told reporters when asked about the failure to set the ambitious deadline during the three days of discussions in Beijing.
The United States went into the talks saying it wanted North Korea, which conducted its first atomic test last October, to make a complete declaration of all its nuclear weapons programmes and disable them by the end of the year.
But, coming after North Korea closed down its main nuclear reactor complex at Yongbyon a few days earlier, Hill insisted that this week's talks had given some momentum to the often tortuous disarmament efforts that began in 2003.
“We have come through what was arguably the most productive week in the six-party process,” he said.
“We have got the Yongbyon complex shut down. We have laid out a view from where we go from here… I'm very, very satisfied.”
The “declare and disable” phase is the second plank of a six-nation disarmament accord brokered in February under which North Korea would eventually completely abandon its nuclear weapons programmes.
In return, it would get one million tons of fuel oil or equivalent energy aid, as well as wide-ranging diplomatic concessions and security guarantees.
But the talks ended on Friday with only a general statement from host China that North Korea and the other five nations remained committed to implementing the February accord.
“The DPRK side (North Korea) reiterated that it will earnestly implement its commitments to a complete declaration of all nuclear programmes and disablement of all existing nuclear facilities,” the statement said. It also reaffirmed that North Korea would receive all of the fuel oil promised for doing so.
This week's talks began amid optimism after North Korea closed all five facilities at Yongbyon, its first commitment under the February accord.
South Korean envoy Chun Yung-Woo then told reporters after Wednesday's discussions that North Korea was willing to declare and disable this year.
However all parties were unable to agree on the firm timetable, with China having the final say on not including the deadline in the statement, according to Hill.
“It was the decision of the Chinese chair not to include that opinion,” he said.
The “declare and disable” phase of the disarmament process is vital because no-one is sure exactly what North Korea's nuclear capabilities are.
The United States accuses North Korea of running a secret uranium enrichment programme. The Yongbyon reactor produced plutonium. Both highly enriched uranium and plutonium can be used to make nuclear weapons.
South Korea's Chun also said Friday that the latest round of the talks had been a success.
“The biggest achievement this time is that North Korea has clearly expressed its intention not to delay the implementation of the February 13 agreement,” Chun said.
Hill and Chun said a final deadline could still be set after all parties meet in working groups to hammer out the details of what needs to be declared and how to close them.
Those working groups will meet before the end of August, according to the chairman's statement, while another round of six-nation talks will be held in Beijing in September.
A first-ever meeting at the ministerial, rather than the envoy, level will also be held after the September, the statement said.
The six-nation talks group China, the two Koreas, the United States, Japan and Russia.
