Dialogue Sought for Settlement of DPRK Nuclear Issue

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, January 09, 2003

Dialogue Sought for Settlement of DPRK Nuclear Issue

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In spite of the long-term deadlock over the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, signs have emerged that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States may eventually come to the negotiating table for a peaceful settlement of the crisis.

In a joint statement with South Korea and Japan, the United States on Tuesday expressed its willingness to hold talks with the DPRK. US President George Bush reiterated that he opted for a peaceful or diplomatic way in solving the nuclear issue.

The US authorities said they had informed the DPRK directly of its willingness to pursue talks by handing over a copy of the statement to its diplomatic representatives at the United Nations.

The DPRK has also softened its stance in the past week. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Sunday called for a bilateral dialogue without preconditions to reach a non-aggression treaty with the United States, in place of its former principle of "tougher policy for tough policy."

The nuclear crisis erupted in October last year, when the visiting US special envoy James Kelly claimed that the DPRK had acknowledged that it had a uranium enrichment program for nuclear development.

In response, the DPRK said on Oct. 25 that it was "entitled to develop nuclear weapons and more powerful ones." Pyongyang proposed a non-aggression treaty with the United States to settle the issue. The proposal, however, was flatly rejected by Washington, which demanded that the nuclear program be dismantled by the DPRK side in an "immediate and verifiable way."

The crisis escalated when the United States suspended fuel oil supply to the DPRK on Nov. 14 as an economic sanction, followed bythe DPRK 's reactivation of its nuclear facilities at Yongbyong and removal on Dec. 22 of seals and surveillance cameras put on the facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Pyongyang then ordered two Yongbyong-based IAEA inspectors to leave the country.

The nuclear crisis is a direct result of a dispute between Pyongyang and Washington over the Agreed Framework reached in Geneva in 1994.

The United States accused the DPRK of violating the framework by reactivating its nuclear facilities.

But Pyongyang insisted that it was the United States that had first failed to observe the Agreed Framework. It also charged that the nuclear issue is a product of the Bush administration's anti-DPRK policy, which reversed the engagement policy of former US President Bill Clinton and designated Pyongyang as part of an "axis of evil" along with Iran and Iraq and an "object of preemptive nuclear attack."

Under the Agreed Framework, the DPRK was to freeze its nuclear facilities in return for two 1,000-megawatt light water reactors provided by the Korean Energy Development Organization (KEDO) under the sponsorship of the United States and 500,000 tons of heavy oil a year from the United States.

However, the construction of light-water reactors had not started until late August, making it impossible to complete the construction of the reactors as scheduled. In another development, the suspension of heavy oil supply caused a severe energy shortage to the DPRK, as the supply makes up about one-third of the country's total energy demand. The DPRK also accused Washington of failing to realize political and economic normalization with Pyongyang as prescribed by the Agreed Framework.

There are signs that the international community is now making concerted efforts toward a peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue. South Korea will come up with a plan next week at a tripartite meeting with the United States and Japan. US Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly is scheduled to visit South Korea, China and Japan for more consultations. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Thursday also expressed his willingness to play a constructive role together with Russia.

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