Little progress made in N. Korea nuclear talks

No breakthrough expected
The U.S. and North Korean delegations held a bilateral meeting Wednesday afternoon but no details were immediately available, a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity, as is embassy policy.

The American delegation also held bilateral talks with each of the other four delegations, the spokeswoman said.

The dispute erupted in late 2002 after Washington said North Korea admitted operating a secret uranium enrichment program in violation of a 1994 deal that gave the isolated country energy aid in exchange for renouncing atomic weapons.

China says it expects this week’s talks to last three days and then recess so diplomats can attend an Asian-Pacific economic conference in South Korea this month.

Political analysts say they do not expect any breakthroughs in this round of talks.

North Korea’s official Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Wednesday criticized U.S. plans to deploy a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in Japan in 2008.

“The Korean people are closely following the U.S. imperialists’ moves to ignite a new war and keeping themselves fully ready to cope with it,” the editorial said, according to a report by the North’s KCNA news agency.

China praises participants
China continued its efforts to moderate expectations, saying the meeting already can be considered a success because the latest round of talks were underway, as planned.

“All the six parties have in their real actions shown to the outside world that they are conducting the fifth round of talks on time and that they are sincere in implementing the joint statement,” Qin said. “This represents a political will that they are sincere in pushing forward the ultimate goal of the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

“That in itself is a sign of success.”

INTERACTIVE N. Korea’s arsenal Longer-range missiles pose a growing threat

South Korea’s envoy, Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon, said the current session was unlikely to result in an agreement but rather would be focused on the preliminary work necessary to get an implementation agreement in the next phase.

Japan’s chief envoy, Kenichiro Sasae, suggested Wednesday that delegates set up two working groups, one to address North Korea’s nuclear dismantlement and verification, and another to discuss economic and energy aid to Pyongyang, the Kyodo news agency reported.

Song said he believed it was too early to set up working groups before a basic framework for progress was in place.

Tensions between the United States and North Korea have risen after the North on Tuesday condemned President Bush for calling its leader a “tyrant,” saying the criticism raised doubts about the prospect of the six-nation talks.

MORE FROM ASIA-PACIFIC

Asia-Pacific Section Front

Vessels collide in Philippines; 24 missing Lasers, acid used in whaling clashes Top Chinese dissident awaits verdict Destination of N. Korean arms cache is murky Filipino troops entertain volcano evacuees Asia-Pacific Section Front   Add Asia-Pacific headlines to your news reader: