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Friday March 24, 9:43 AMS. Korea says little optimism now about resuming 6-way nuke talks(Kyodo) _ The chief South Korean delegate to six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions said Thursday there is little optimism about resuming the multilateral dialogue, after meeting his U.S. counterpart."I don't think there is much optimism now," South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Chun Young Woo told reporters after meeting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill at the State Department. His comments came despite a meeting held between North Korea and the United States earlier this month over U.S. financial sanctions related to alleged illicit North Korean activities, including counterfeiting of U.S. dollars. The move had raised hope for resuming the six-party talks, which have been stalled since the fifth round in early November in Beijing. Pyongyang maintains that it will not return to the table unless the United States removes its financial sanctions, while Washington says they are a law enforcement matter unrelated to the nuclear talks. "We exchanged views on where the whole situations stand and what it takes (to break) the deadlock and to make progress," Chun said. "We have no idea when North Korea will come back. All depends on North Korea's decision," he said. But Chun stressed the need for Seoul and Washington to keep in close contact and coordinate policies, saying, "We have to work together to make progress when North Korea decides to come back." Chun, who is making his first visit to Washington since taking over the post from Song Min Soon last month, also held talks with Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Robert Joseph. |
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