Envoys to six-party negotiations on the North Korean nuclear crisis gathered in Beijing yesterday ahead of working-level talks aimed at finding ways to break the impasse, but chances of a breakthrough appeared slim.
Neither Pyongyang nor Washington, the two protagonists in the standoff over North Korea's nuclear programs, showed any sign of preparing to budge from their deeply entrenched positions during the inaugural talks to pave the way for higher-level meetings.
Some analysts said the George W. Bush administration had no intention of making compromises before presidential elections in November and that communist North Korea, sensing that, would stick to its guns.
US special envoy Joseph DeTrani was to consult with his counterparts from South Korea, Japan, China and Russia before the closed-door talks, which open today and are expected to last several days, an embassy spokeswoman said.
The nuclear crisis erupted in October 2002 when US officials said communist North Korea had disclosed it was working on a secret program to enrich uranium for weapons in violation of an international agreement.
Pyongyang then pulled out of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, expelled UN inspectors and took a plutonium plant out of mothballs.
North Korea wants compensation to give up its nuclear ambitions, with a deal for a freeze as a first step, while the US wants Pyongyang to agree to complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement.
"We have stated many times that the US will not provide rewards or inducements to North Korea for compliance with international obligations and commitments," the US spokeswoman said.
The working-level talks follow two inconclusive rounds of higher-level talks in February and last August in Beijing and precede a third round scheduled to take place by the end of June.
Observers say the goal is to start a more technical discussion at which the sides can clarify their positions.
"Right now, the issue is how to truly remove mutual mistrust," said Shen Jiru, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences of the positions of Washington and Pyongyang.
"But I'm afraid it won't be easy to resolve this problem in a short time... because both sides are always taking a zero-sum attitude," he said. "This in itself is a form of mistrust."
Kim Kwang-yong, of Hanyang University in Seoul, said North Korea was setting its sights on dealing with new negotiating partners after the November US elections.
"Clearly, North Korea thinks John Kerry is a figure that is easier to negotiate with," he said.
North Korea agreed to take part in the meeting after its reclusive leader, Kim Jong-il, made a rare visit to Beijing last month when he was quoted as telling Chinese leaders that North Korea would be patient, flexible and engaged in six-party talks.
But on Monday, the North made a trademark step of cranking up tough rhetoric before negotiations.
VAGUE: The criteria of the amnesty remain unclear, but it would cover political violence from 1999 to today, and those convicted of murder or drug trafficking would not qualify Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Friday announced an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of hundreds of prisoners, including opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists detained for political reasons. The measure had long been sought by the US-backed opposition. It is the latest concession Rodriguez has made since taking the reins of the country on Jan. 3 after the brazen seizure of then-Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Rodriguez told a gathering of justices, magistrates, ministers, military brass and other government leaders that the ruling party-controlled Venezuelan National Assembly would take up the bill with urgency. Rodriguez also announced the shutdown
Civil society leaders and members of a left-wing coalition yesterday filed impeachment complaints against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, restarting a process sidelined by the Supreme Court last year. Both cases accuse Duterte of misusing public funds during her term as education secretary, while one revives allegations that she threatened to assassinate former ally Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The filings come on the same day that a committee in the House of Representatives was to begin hearings into impeachment complaints against Marcos, accused of corruption tied to a spiraling scandal over bogus flood control projects. Under the constitution, an impeachment by the
Exiled Tibetans began a unique global election yesterday for a government representing a homeland many have never seen, as part of a democratic exercise voters say carries great weight. From red-robed Buddhist monks in the snowy Himalayas, to political exiles in megacities across South Asia, to refugees in Australia, Europe and North America, voting takes place in 27 countries — but not China. “Elections ... show that the struggle for Tibet’s freedom and independence continues from generation to generation,” said candidate Gyaltsen Chokye, 33, who is based in the Indian hill-town of Dharamsala, headquarters of the government-in-exile, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). It
China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including “key members” of telecom scam operations, state media reported yesterday, as Beijing toughens its response to the sprawling, transnational industry. Fraud compounds where scammers lure Internet users into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments have flourished across Southeast Asia, including in Myanmar. Initially largely targeting Chinese speakers, the criminal groups behind the compounds have expanded operations into multiple languages to steal from victims around the world. Those conducting the scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals forced to work. In the past few years, Beijing has stepped up cooperation
RSS