CHINA / Foreign Media on China
Diplomatic victory for China
By Anne Penketh (The Independent)
Updated: 2006-11-01 09:27
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article1945773.ece
Three weeks after conducting its first nuclear test, which sent
shockwaves round the world, North Korea yesterday agreed to return to the
negotiating table.
The decision is a diplomatic victory for China, North Korea's neighbour
and a veto-holding power on the United Nations Security Council, which
lost patience after the nuclear test on 9 October.
It also emerged yesterday that China cut off oil supplies to its
neighbourin September amid reports that a test was imminent and sent an
envoy to read the riot act to North Korea's "Dear Leader", Kim Jong Il,
before hosting yesterday's talks in Beijing.
China's Foreign Ministry said North Korea had decided to return to the
negotiations after the "candid and in-depth" meeting between Chinese, US
and North Korean officials in Beijing.
Pyongyang has been urged to rejoin the six-party talks as the most
promising forum for resolving the long standoff over its nuclear weapons
programme. UN financial and weapons sanctions imposed after its test are
to remain. But President George Bush welcomed North Korea's move. He
thanked China for its role in wringing the agreement from the regime,
which has become even more isolated since the nuclear test.
Christopher Hill, the American envoy who attended the negotiations, said
the six-party talks could resume as early as this month. He said the next
round would address North Korea's concerns with the US financial
restrictions, possibly through a working group. He added that Pyongyang
must renounce " illicit activities" that the US has said include currency
counterfeiting and drug trafficking.
Even before detonating its nuclear device, North Korea had been subjected
to a gradual tightening of the screws, beginning in September last year
when the US treasury department suddenly moved against a bank in Macau,
Banco Delta Asia, over the American suspicions.
The financial move, resulting in the freezing of ��14m of funds, came
just after a deal had been struck under which the US had agreed to
provide security guarantees to Pyongyang in return for the North
abandoning its nuclear weapons programme.
Of the other three countries in the talks, South Korea and Russia
welcomed the breakthrough, but Japan, now led by a hardline prime
minister, warned that it would not permit North Korea to return to
negotiations unless it renounced nuclear weapons. Taro Aso, the Foreign
Minister, said Japan " does not intend to accept North Korea's return to
the talks on the premise that it possesses nuclear weapons".
Chinese trade statistics show that North Korea, which depends on China
for about 90 per cent of its supplies, received no crude oil at all from
its neighbours.
The US has consistently refused to engage in bilateral talks with the
regime. The agreement suggested Washington had agreed to a concession on
the US financial sanctions. Mr Kim was quoted as telling the Chinese
envoy that " if the United States gives in to a certain degree, we will
also do so, whether it's bilateral talks or six-party talks".
Mr Hill cautioned that much work remained to prepare for the resumption
of the talks. Among the issues would be how would North Korea take steps
to give up its nuclear programmes, he said. "We're a long way from our
goals here," said Mr Hill in Beijing. "I have not broken out the
champagne and cigars yet."
Three weeks after conducting its first nuclear test, which sent
shockwaves round the world, North Korea yesterday agreed to return to the
negotiating table.
The decision is a diplomatic victory for China, North Korea's Communist
ally and a veto-holding power on the United Nations Security Council,
which lost patience after the nuclear test on 9 October.
It also emerged yesterday that China cut off oil supplies to its
neighbourin September amid reports that a test was imminent and sent an
envoy to read the riot act to North Korea's "Dear Leader", Kim Jong Il,
before hosting yesterday's talks in Beijing.
China's Foreign Ministry said North Korea had decided to return to the
negotiations after the "candid and in-depth" meeting between Chinese, US
and North Korean officials in Beijing.
Pyongyang has been urged to rejoin the six-party talks as the most
promising forum for resolving the long standoff over its nuclear weapons
programme. UN financial and weapons sanctions imposed after its test are
to remain. But President George Bush welcomed North Korea's move. He
thanked China for its role in wringing the agreement from the regime,
which has become even more isolated since the nuclear test.
Christopher Hill, the American envoy who attended the negotiations, said
the six-party talks could resume as early as this month. He said the next
round would address North Korea's concerns with the US financial
restrictions, possibly through a working group. He added that Pyongyang
must renounce " illicit activities" that the US has said include currency
counterfeiting and drug trafficking.
Even before detonating its nuclear device, North Korea had been subjected
to a gradual tightening of the screws, beginning in September last year
when the US treasury department suddenly moved against a bank in Macau,
Banco Delta Asia, over the American suspicions.
The financial move, resulting in the freezing of ��14m of funds, came
just after a deal had been struck under which the US had agreed to
provide security guarantees to Pyongyang in return for the North
abandoning its nuclear weapons programme.
Of the other three countries in the talks, South Korea and Russia
welcomed the breakthrough, but Japan, now led by a hardline prime
minister, warned that it would not permit North Korea to return to
negotiations unless it renounced nuclear weapons. Taro Aso, the Foreign
Minister, said Japan " does not intend to accept North Korea's return to
the talks on the premise that it possesses nuclear weapons".
Chinese trade statistics show that North Korea, which depends on China
for about 90 per cent of its supplies, received no crude oil at all from
its neighbours.
The US has consistently refused to engage in bilateral talks with the
regime. The agreement suggested Washington had agreed to a concession on
the US financial sanctions. Mr Kim was quoted as telling the Chinese
envoy that " if the United States gives in to a certain degree, we will
also do so, whether it's bilateral talks or six-party talks".
Mr Hill cautioned that much work remained to prepare for the resumption
of the talks. Among the issues would be how would North Korea take steps
to give up its nuclear programmes, he said. "We're a long way from our
goals here," said Mr Hill in Beijing. "I have not broken out the
champagne and cigars yet."
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