Negotiations on the North Korean nuclear standoff picked up pace yesterday with South Korea's defense chief heading to Japan and Tokyo's top envoy on the dispute heading to Seoul to discuss a fresh round of six-nation talks on the issue.
South Korean Defense Minister Cho Young-kil was scheduled to meet his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba and exchange views on the standoff over North Korea's suspected nuclear weapons programs.
Meanwhile, Japan's chief negotiator on the nuclear issue, Mitoji Yabunaka, was to arrive in Seoul later yesterday to try to arrange another round of six-nation talks on resolving the issue. He was to meet his South Korean counterpart, South Assistant Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck.
In a morning briefing, the South Korean foreign minister suggested that North Korea's key demand for a guarantee of its security was still under discussion and that delegates were still haggling over dates for the next six-nation round.
Both Japan and South Korea are interested in easing tensions on the divided Korean peninsula. An international standoff with North Korea has worsened since US officials said a year ago that North Korea admitted running a secret nuclear program in violation of international agreements.
Efforts are under way to arrange a fresh round of nuclear talks involving the two Koreas, Russia, the US, China and Japan. Delegates have said they are shooting for another round next month, but the dates have yet to be decided. A first round of talks held in Beijing in August ended without much progress.
South Korea's Foreign Minister Yoon Young-kwan said yesterday that delegations are still discussing dates. He also said that North Korea's demands for a security guarantee were being examined.
Last week, US Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly met South Korean officials and discussed security assurances for North Korea, one of its top conditions for ending its nuclear programs.
But Yoon suggested Wednesday that the US and North Korea's neighbors were unlikely to offer security assurances for North Korea's communist government.
Asked whether such guarantees could cover North Korea's government in addition to the country's territorial integrity, Yoon said, "I don't believe there was a case where a country guaranteed the security of another country's government."
North Korea has said it will consider US President George W. Bush's offer of written security assurances in return for dismantling its nuclear weapons program.
In Japan, the two defense chiefs were also expected to discuss the US request for more troops to Iraq, South Korea's Defense Ministry said.
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