North and U.S. confer alone

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North and U.S. confer alone

BEIJING ― Breaking away from the six-party talks here, U.S. and North Korean officials met alone yesterday in a private session to exchange views on the North’s nuclear weapons development program.
Up until the meeting, the Bush administration had adamantly rejected demands from Pyeongyang for bilateral negotiations. The North seeks to resolve the crisis by securing a non-aggression pact from the United States in exchange for concessions on its arms program.
On the first day of the three-day gathering here, James Kelly, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, and Kim Yong-il, North Korea’s deputy foreign minister, talked for about 30 minutes alone.
Diplomats said the two sides indicated a willingness to resolve the issue through dialogue, although their positions remain far apart.
In a keynote speech at the wider conference, Kelly raised the issue of the North’s insistence on a security guarantee, but no details of how that might be addressed by the United States were disclosed.
Officials with knowledge of the talks said the discussion between North Korea and the United States likely did not help narrow their difference, but the meeting reflected a symbolic gesture of a willingness by the two countries to continue dialogue for the rest of the talks. The broader talks are scheduled to wrap up Friday morning.
At the outset of the conference all six countries ― the United States, North and South Korea, Japan, Russia and China ― exchanged warm, formal greetings. China, as host of the talks. expressed determination to resolve the standoff.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry’s director general for North American affairs, Wi Sung-lac, told reporters there was “a clear expression of willingness by the North to resolve the issue through dialogue” in its opening statement.
Wang Yi, China’s deputy foreign minister, greeted the delegations with a note of resolution that capped a month of intense preparation.
The six-party talks are “a new beginning,” Mr. Wang said in his welcoming remarks and “they indicated an important step towards the peaceful solution of the North Korean nuclear issue.” That sentiment was repeated in China’s statement later in the day, Mr. Wi said. Stressing the spirit of cooperation to make the talks produce a result, Mr. Wang spoke of “seeking out the common ground and setting aside the difference,” Mr. Wi said.

By Kim Young-sae / Staff Writer

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