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Reclusive N.Korea in rare talks with foes
2007-03-07
Prospects for a thaw between North Korea and its foes brightened on Wednesday as it held talks with Japan in Hanoi, one day after a meeting with U.S. officials in New York that an American envoy described as "very good." But the talks in the Vietnamese capital quickly hit turbulence, prompting postponement of a scheduled afternoon session. A Japanese diplomat said the North Koreans had "reacted angrily" during discussion of the sensitive issue of Pyongyang's abductions of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 80s. The separate meetings half a world apart stemmed from a six-country deal hammered out in Beijing last month. The impoverished communist state agreed to start shutting down its nuclear arms program in exchange for the promise of millions of dollars in energy aid and prospects for diplomatic ties with the world number one and number two economies. Japanese and North Korean diplomats met on Wednesday morning at the Japanese embassy in the Vietnamese capital. "In the morning session we conveyed our basic view on the abduction issue in detail," the Japanese diplomat said. "And the afternoon session has not been held because the North Korean side reacted angrily." Thursday's agenda calls for talks on resuming diplomatic relations, which Tokyo says is impossible without resolution of the abductee issue. Tokyo wants more information from Pyongyang and the return of any survivors. North Korea admitted in 2002 that its agents had abducted 13 Japanese, sparking outrage in Japan. Five of those were repatriated and Pyongyang says the other eight are dead. Asked by reporters in Tokyo about the two-day talks, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: "Lots of things happen when negotiating with North Korea. There's no change in our position to seek progress and resolution of the abduction issue in these negotiations." COLONIAL RULE For its part, North Korea was expected to press for settlement of issues stemming from Japan's harsh 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean peninsula. "I hope we, recognizing the sense of responsibility and commitments, will help with the implementation of the six-party agreement by proceeding with our working-level talks," North Korea's negotiator, Song Il-ho, said in his opening statement. "We believe it is favorable for us to build substantial political, economic and cultural relations by settling the unfortunate past and issues of mutual concern," he said. Under the arms-for-aid deal struck in Beijing, North Korea sent its chief nuclear envoy to the United States and another delegation to Hanoi for talks on establishing ties. The United States said it had "very good" talks on Tuesday and it appeared that the agreement on ending North Korea's nuclear ambitions was on track for now. "These were very good discussions," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters after about eight hours of talks with North Korean negotiator Kim Kye-gwan. "For now we feel we are on the right track." The Beijing deal has also eased tension on the Korean peninsula that had been stoked by Pyongyang's missile and nuclear tests last year. An adviser to South Korea's president, former prime minister Lee Hae-chan, left for Pyongyang on Wednesday to meet the North's nominal number two leader. Local media said the trip could lead to only the second inter-Korean summit on the divided peninsula, but the administration of President Roh Moo-hyun has repeatedly denied that it is seeking a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. The two Koreas remain technically at war, over half a century after the 1950-1953 Korean War ended in an inconclusive truce. (Additional reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Seoul, George Nishiyama in Tokyo and Paul Eckert in New York)
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