| In Beijing, the six-party talks on North | | | | this week, chief U.S. negotiator Christopher |
| Korea's nuclear-weapons program have resumed. | | | | Hill said the Bush administration had no |
| | | | plans to attack North Korea. |
| The United States has been saying since | | | | |
| October 2002 that Pyongyang has a secret | | | | Experts also say Pyongyang is looking for |
| nuclear-weapons program. Since then, North | | | | economic incentives in exchange for nuclear |
| Korea has pulled out of the Nuclear | | | | disarmament. Mr. Kimball says the United |
| Non-Proliferation Treaty, expelled U.N. | | | | States wants something else from North Korea. |
| monitors, and re-opened a nuclear facility it | | | | |
| had promised to dismantle in 1994. | | | | "For the North Koreans to announce that they |
| | | | are going to dismantle their nuclear-weapons |
| Jim Walsh is a nuclear expert from Harvard | | | | capacity, to freeze their current activities |
| University says very little is known about | | | | in a verifiable fashion, both in terms of |
| North Korea's program to build nuclear | | | | their plutonium activities and their possible |
| weapons. | | | | uranium-enrichment activities and then allow |
| | | | for the dismantlement of their nuclear |
| "It is not a very transparent place. | | | | facilities that can be used to produce |
| International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors | | | | nuclear bomb material or nuclear weapons," he |
| have not been there for some time. But what | | | | said. |
| is known from the past, is that they had a | | | | |
| reactor that could produce plutonium, that | | | | Mr. Kimball says a key sticking point in the |
| could reprocess plutonium and with that | | | | negotiations is what is called "sequencing", |
| plutonium, construct nuclear weapons," he | | | | what comes first, North Korea's disarmament |
| said. "On February 10 of this year, the North | | | | or economic incentives from neighboring |
| Korean government issued an announcement | | | | states? |
| saying that they had nuclear weapons: that | | | | |
| was their first public pronouncement of that | | | | "The North Koreans want all the benefits up |
| kind, although they had been telling us and | | | | front and they would like to dismantle later. |
| others privately four months prior to that | | | | And what the United States has been has been |
| that they did in fact have a quote 'nuclear | | | | insisting on, up to this point, basically, is |
| deterrent' unquote. But the estimates are | | | | for the North Koreans to announce that they |
| uncertain, ranging anywhere from zero nuclear | | | | are going to dismantle and to begin doing so |
| weapons to maybe six to eight nuclear | | | | and then to consider providing some of the |
| weapons, but frankly, not a lot is known. | | | | benefits the North Koreans are looking for," |
| They have not tested a nuclear weapon, so | | | | he explained. "So I think to put it crudely, |
| there is not a lot of data out there." | | | | bluntly, simply - one of the key, if not the |
| | | | key, issue for the two sides to resolve is |
| For the past several years, the United States | | | | the sequencing of these steps." |
| has been trying to persuade North Korea to | | | | |
| eliminate its nuclear-weapons capabilities. | | | | Harvard University's Jim Walsh, who has |
| That effort has been conducted through the | | | | recently met with North Korean nuclear |
| negotiating forum known as the six-party | | | | officials in Pyongyang, says there is another |
| talks that bring together the United States, | | | | key factor that will determine the success or |
| China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and North | | | | failure of these talks. |
| Korea. | | | | |
| | | | "The real issue here, the more general issue |
| Since August 2003, diplomats from the six | | | | is an issue of seriousness. And the North |
| countries met three times with very little | | | | Koreans wonder whether the United States is |
| progress achieved. Now, after a 13-month | | | | really serious or whether it is talking for |
| hiatus, the parties are meeting again in an | | | | the sake of talking, for diplomatic advantage |
| effort to try to move the process forward. | | | | or to buy time," said Mr. Walsh. "For their |
| | | | part, American officials wonder whether the |
| Experts say it will not be easy to reconcile | | | | North Koreans are serious, whether they are |
| two conflicting negotiating positions. | | | | just talking for the sake of talking in order |
| | | | to get aid or other assistance. And so while |
| "What is clear from the historical record, is | | | | I do not expect at this week's talks for |
| that what North Korea seems to be looking for | | | | there to be a major breakthrough - I do not |
| is a resolution to the long-standing 'state | | | | expect the difficult issues to be resolved. I |
| of war' that technically and legally still | | | | do hope, though, that each side is able to |
| exists between North Korea and the United | | | | communicate to the other, in a credible way, |
| States," said Daryl Kimball, who heads the | | | | that they are serious and want real |
| Arms Control Association, an independent | | | | negotiations." |
| research organization. "This is why they have | | | | |
| from time to time said that they seek some | | | | Analysts say if these talks fail, the United |
| form of peace treaty with the United States, | | | | States may call for economic and political |
| to formally end the Korean War. They also, | | | | sanctions against North Korea, including |
| related to that, have stated that they are | | | | referring the matter to the United Nations |
| looking for guarantees that the United States | | | | Security Council. Experts say that would |
| will not attack the regime or the country." | | | | result in an unfortunate escalation of the |
| | | | crisis with unforeseen consequences for |
| During the opening round of talks earlier | | | | everyone. |