| In Beijing, the six-party talks on North Korea's | | | | week, chief U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill said the |
| nuclear-weapons program have resumed. | | | | Bush administration had no plans to attack North |
| The United States has been saying since October | | | | Korea. |
| 2002 that Pyongyang has a secret | | | | Experts also say Pyongyang is looking for |
| nuclear-weapons program. Since then, North | | | | economic incentives in exchange for nuclear |
| Korea has pulled out of the Nuclear | | | | disarmament. Mr. Kimball says the United States |
| Non-Proliferation Treaty, expelled U.N. monitors, | | | | wants something else from North Korea. |
| and re-opened a nuclear facility it had promised to | | | | "For the North Koreans to announce that they |
| dismantle in 1994. | | | | are going to dismantle their nuclear-weapons |
| Jim Walsh is a nuclear expert from Harvard | | | | capacity, to freeze their current activities in a |
| University says very little is known about North | | | | verifiable fashion, both in terms of their plutonium |
| Korea's program to build nuclear weapons. | | | | activities and their possible uranium-enrichment |
| "It is not a very transparent place. International | | | | activities and then allow for the dismantlement of |
| Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have not been | | | | their nuclear facilities that can be used to produce |
| there for some time. But what is known from the | | | | nuclear bomb material or nuclear weapons," he |
| past, is that they had a reactor that could | | | | said. |
| produce plutonium, that could reprocess plutonium | | | | Mr. Kimball says a key sticking point in the |
| and with that plutonium, construct nuclear | | | | negotiations is what is called "sequencing", what |
| weapons," he said. "On February 10 of this year, | | | | comes first, North Korea's disarmament or |
| the North Korean government issued an | | | | economic incentives from neighboring states? |
| announcement saying that they had nuclear | | | | "The North Koreans want all the benefits up front |
| weapons: that was their first public | | | | and they would like to dismantle later. And what |
| pronouncement of that kind, although they had | | | | the United States has been has been insisting on, |
| been telling us and others privately four months | | | | up to this point, basically, is for the North Koreans |
| prior to that that they did in fact have a quote | | | | to announce that they are going to dismantle and |
| 'nuclear deterrent' unquote. But the estimates are | | | | to begin doing so and then to consider providing |
| uncertain, ranging anywhere from zero nuclear | | | | some of the benefits the North Koreans are |
| weapons to maybe six to eight nuclear weapons, | | | | looking for," he explained. "So I think to put it |
| but frankly, not a lot is known. They have not | | | | crudely, bluntly, simply - one of the key, if not the |
| tested a nuclear weapon, so there is not a lot of | | | | key, issue for the two sides to resolve is the |
| data out there." | | | | sequencing of these steps." |
| For the past several years, the United States has | | | | Harvard University's Jim Walsh, who has recently |
| been trying to persuade North Korea to eliminate | | | | met with North Korean nuclear officials in |
| its nuclear-weapons capabilities. That effort has | | | | Pyongyang, says there is another key factor that |
| been conducted through the negotiating forum | | | | will determine the success or failure of these |
| known as the six-party talks that bring together | | | | talks. |
| the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South | | | | "The real issue here, the more general issue is an |
| Korea, and North Korea. | | | | issue of seriousness. And the North Koreans |
| Since August 2003, diplomats from the six | | | | wonder whether the United States is really |
| countries met three times with very little | | | | serious or whether it is talking for the sake of |
| progress achieved. Now, after a 13-month hiatus, | | | | talking, for diplomatic advantage or to buy time," |
| the parties are meeting again in an effort to try | | | | said Mr. Walsh. "For their part, American officials |
| to move the process forward. | | | | wonder whether the North Koreans are serious, |
| Experts say it will not be easy to reconcile two | | | | whether they are just talking for the sake of |
| conflicting negotiating positions. | | | | talking in order to get aid or other assistance. And |
| "What is clear from the historical record, is that | | | | so while I do not expect at this week's talks for |
| what North Korea seems to be looking for is a | | | | there to be a major breakthrough - I do not |
| resolution to the long-standing 'state of war' that | | | | expect the difficult issues to be resolved. I do |
| technically and legally still exists between North | | | | hope, though, that each side is able to |
| Korea and the United States," said Daryl Kimball, | | | | communicate to the other, in a credible way, that |
| who heads the Arms Control Association, an | | | | they are serious and want real negotiations." |
| independent research organization. "This is why | | | | Analysts say if these talks fail, the United States |
| they have from time to time said that they seek | | | | may call for economic and political sanctions |
| some form of peace treaty with the United | | | | against North Korea, including referring the matter |
| States, to formally end the Korean War. They | | | | to the United Nations Security Council. Experts |
| also, related to that, have stated that they are | | | | say that would result in an unfortunate escalation |
| looking for guarantees that the United States will | | | | of the crisis with unforeseen consequences for |
| not attack the regime or the country." | | | | everyone. |
| During the opening round of talks earlier this | | | | |