US Ambassador Thomas Hubbard said yesterday that Washington has not set a date for talks with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, denying reports that the communist regime might agree to a dialogue involving several nations soon.
"We don't have a timetable for talks yet," Hubbard told a news conference in Seoul. "We are ready for multilateral dialogue as soon as the North Koreans are."
On Tuesday, the Yomiuri, Japan's largest newspaper, quoted a US official as saying he expects discussions between the US, North Korea, China, Japan and South Korea as early as next month. Another major Japanese daily, the Asahi, quoted the official as saying a multilateral meeting could be held "before August."
Hubbard also said there were no plans for US and North Korean officials to meet informally in Cambodia at the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations' Regional Forum meeting, which runs June 16 to June 20.
Washington has insisted on multilateral talks to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis since it flared in October. North Korea has said it might consider US demands if it can first meet one-on-one with the US.
During talks in Beijing in April, North Korea told US diplomats it is willing to give up its nuclear programs in return for security guarantees and economic aid.
Hubbard repeated Washington's demands for Pyongyang to "visibly, verifiably and irreversibly" halt its nuclear programs.
He said the North's nuclear ambitions are to blame for the country's isolation, which has exacerbated the economic conditions there and left it dependent on outside aid to feed the population of 22 million.
"It's hard to tell whether North Korea really wants dialogue or not," he said. "If North Korea wishes to have the assistance of the international community in developing its economy, it needs to abandon its aspirations to have nuclear weapons."
On Monday, North Korea threatened to develop a "nuclear deterrent" unless Washington abandons its "hostile" stance toward the communist nation. The statement was the North's most direct admission of its intention to develop a nuclear arsenal.
Hubbard described the North's escalating rhetoric in recent months as "defiant."
He denied that attempts to halt alleged drug and money trafficking by North Korean ships amounted to sanctions, and said the recent seizure of 125kg of heroin aboard a North Korean-owned ship in Australia "was just plain law enforcement."
"I'm really surprised when I hear law enforcement equated with sanctions," Hubbard said. "It's not a new kind of sanction to try to prevent the shipment of narcotics, counterfeit money, etcetera."
North Korea has rejected allegations it is involved in smuggling drugs and counterfeit cash.
RSS