US flexible on DPRK talks, praises China's role

"China, of course, was a close partner in our efforts towards concluding the agreement with Iran," he said. "China's been a longtime partner as we come upon the 10th anniversary of the September 19, 2005 Joint Statement."

"They've been a good partner until now, and we will continue to explore the lessons learned, as it were, from our experience in negotiations on the Iran deal. And see what we can do to apply those lessons to bring the DPRK back to the negotiating table," Seiler said.

Ted Carpenter, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, agreed that the Iran agreement increased the likelihood that the Six-Party Talks will be resumed.

"The US is showing somewhat greater receptivity to negotiations, but it is questionable whether DPRK is serious about reaching a settlement — at least one on terms that Washington could accept," he said.

"The Iran deal was clearly a compromise, with both sides showing significant flexibility and making needed concessions. Pyongyang has yet to show that it is interested in an agreement that would require DPRK to restrain its nuclear program and put it under international supervision," Carpenter said.

But Jonathan Pollack, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said he sees no reason to conclude that the agreement with Iran presages the resumption of multilateral diplomacy with the DPRK.

"The United States has repeatedly emphasized that it is open to meaningful contacts with DPRK on a range of issues," he said. "It's also true that DPRK has thus far refrained from conducting a fourth nuclear test. But the cases of DPRK and Iran exhibit few similarities.

"Pyongyang has repeatedly emphasized its determination to retain and enhance its weapons capabilities and seeks acceptance as a nuclear weapons state," he said.

Pollack said that although the cooperation among the other members of the Six-Party process continues to improve, the costs to Pyongyang do not seem sufficient to compel it to reassess its weapons pursuits.

"Nor does DPRK seem to object to its international marginalization. It's a dispiriting but unsurprising picture," he said.

chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com