North Korea Is Coming to Town, But...
Duyeon Kim | Jul 25, 2011 |
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North Korean Vice FM Kim Kye-gwan
Step II is expected to begin this week in a three-step approach in resuming the Six Party Talks that broke down in December 2008.
Upon U.S. invitation, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-Gwan is expected to land in New York later this week for preliminary talks with a US inter-agency team. Kim, Pyongyang’s former chief nuclear negotiator to the Six Party Talks, orchestrates the North’s nuclear negotiations.
The meeting would come on the heels of Step I held last week between the two Koreas on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Bali, and would be the first time in over a year (1 year and 7 months to be exact) since Washington and Pyongyang met directly, face-to-face.
Seoul and Washington officials are maintaining a cautious stance, and are rightly still suspicious of whether Pyongyang truly intends to surrender its nuclear arsenal.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement, “We will not give them anything new for actions they have already agreed to take. And we have no appetite for pursuing protracted negotiations that will only lead us right back to where we have already been." (Click 'Read More.')
North Korea-U.S. direct talks, South Korea, Six Party Talks (all tags)
