The Hindu : International : Group to define scope of N. Korean nuclear freeze

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 27, 2004

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International

Group to define scope of N. Korean nuclear freeze

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE, JUNE 26 . An agreement was reached at the six-party talks in Beijing today, to `authorise' a diplomatic exercise to "define the scope'' of the "first steps for de-nuclearisation" of the Korean peninsula. Shorn of the complexity of formulation, the accord authorises the defining of a possible `freeze' by North Korea of its nuclear-weapons programme.

The Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, who hosted the talks, said in a summing-up statement that the six parties "authorised the (relevant) working group to convene at the earliest possible date to define the scope, duration and verification as well as corresponding measures for first steps for de-nuclearisation.''

The working group was further `authorised' to make "recommendations as (considered) appropriate.'' The working group is to convene before the next round of the six-party parleys which would be, "in principle," held "by the end of September 2004."

An overall limited accord on these lines was reached at the end of the third round in Beijing today. The working group was formed after the previous round several months ago.

Besides China, the other participants, in both the six-party forum and the relevant working group, are the United States, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea), Japan, South Korea and Russia.

By publicly talking of `verification' measures and also `duration', Mr. Wang Yi clearly hinted at the possibility of a `freeze' by the DPRK of its atomic arms programme as one of the "first steps'' towards de-nuclearisation of the entire Korean peninsula, inclusive of the northern part.

An inference of this order was made possible too by the statement of a spokesman of the DPRK embassy in Beijing. The spokesman, Hyun Hak-bong, said: "What we are proposing is to not only freeze these (nuclear) facilities but also dismantle them if (appropriate) conditions are formed'' or brought about.

While these `conditions' would be assessed from a North Korean perspective, Mr. Hyun said that any nuclear freeze would mean "no more production, transfer and testing of nuclear weapons''.

Shortly before the completion of the latest round of talks, the U.S. characterised the "overall atmosphere" as `constructive'. It was also clarified that the U.S. did not reckon that North Korea had indeed issued a `threat' or ultimatum about wanting to test a nuclear weapon.

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