Conditions make it hard to talk

No one wants to see a resumption of the Six-Party Talks rapidly turning into another "talking shop". If this were to happen again, it would not only devalue the multinational platform, it would also cast doubts on its feasibility.

Officials from the ROK have raised the issue of DPRK putting its uranium enrichment program (UEP) under international inspection, according to reports by Korean JoongAng Daily.

While in New York, Kim Gye-kwan declared that its UEP is a peaceful nuclear energy project. Still, analysts from the US and ROK believe that inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would be able to confirm this, and more importantly, dismiss international concerns about the DPRK's nuclear weapons program.

In order to promote the process of denuclearization, it would be beneficial if all parties follow the earlier agreement to disable the nuclear facilities at Yongbyon. While the DPRK has been asked to facilitate international verification of its declared nuclear inventory of November 2007, it should be provided with the necessary incentives to cooperate - such as satisfying its legitimate requirements for national security and development. China should be encouraged to push Pyongyang in that direction.

But it seems that the US seeks to go much further with its various preconditions. It is reported that Washington's preference, in collaboration with Seoul and Tokyo, is not only for suspension of the DPRK's UEP, but for moratoriums on its nuclear tests and long-range missile tests. But such preconditions are unrealistic.

While denuclearization of the DPRK is an unshakable goal of the international community, the Obama administration has prioritized counter-proliferation and has decided to re-engage the DPRK to curb Pyongyang's nuclear capability. This explains why the US agreed to the bilateral talks in New York.

But the White House is dramatically shifting its strategic gravity of denuclearizing the North from the multi-national talks to coordination with its allies.

So it is questionable whether the US, ROK and Japan are committed to the Six-Party Talks. For the time being, their endorsement of a new round of talks is lack-luster. The Washington-Seoul-Tokyo collaboration emphasizes that inter-Korean dialogue is another "precondition".

Given this, resumption of the Six-Party Talks remains laborious work.

The author is deputy director of the Center for International and Strategic Studies, and professor of the School of International Studies, Peking University.

China Forum

(China Daily 08/10/2011 page8)