Bosworth embarks on first Asian tour as envoy

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Bosworth embarks on first Asian tour as envoy

WASHINGTON - Stephen Bosworth, the American special representative for North Korea, will embark on a three-nation Asian tour Monday to discuss the six-party talks on ending North Korea’s nuclear ambition, the State Department said Saturday.

“Ambassador Bosworth will depart for the region on March 2 and plans to return on March 10,” the State Department said in a statement. “He will visit Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul to consult with senior officials about issues related to the North Korea nuclear issue.”

The U.S. point man on North Korea “will also consult with Russian officials who will travel separately to the region,” the statement said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton officially introduced Bosworth as the United States’ special envoy for North Korea at a news conference last Friday.

Later that day, Bosworth met with President Barack Obama to discuss his upcoming trip to Asia.

After the meeting, the White House issued a statement that said, “At the president’s and secretary of state’s request, Ambassador Bosworth will travel next week for consultation with our allies and partners in the six-party talks to discuss the problem of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.”

Bosworth, a former ambassador to South Korea, reports directly to Obama and Clinton.

Kurt Campbell, head of the Center for a New American Security, a private think tank, has been tapped to replace Christopher Hill, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs who has been named as ambassador to Iraq. Campbell is a former deputy assistant secretary of defense.

Clinton said Friday that Bosworth will lead “our efforts to address the full range of concerns with respect to North Korea, including its nuclear ambition and its proliferation of sensitive weapons technology, as well as its human rights and humanitarian problems.”

She also expressed hope that Bosworth “will facilitate high-level engagement with North Korea and our other partners, and enhance our efforts to move forward in the six-party process and to realize our goal of the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner.”

Sung Kim, the special envoy to the six-party talks, will accompany Bosworth to Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing. Kim was promoted to lead the U.S. delegation to the talks on ending North Korea’s nuclear ambition, while Bosworth will seek higher-level contact for a breakthrough in the difficult negotiations. Kim was previously the deputy to Hill, who also served as the head of the U.S. delegation to the six-party talks. Yonhap
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