Christopher Hill, the U.S. envoy to the Six-Party Talks, provided an update on the negotiations being held in Beijing to achieve the goal of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. Hill said that a pivotal breakthrough occurred in the Six-Party Talks in late summer, when North Korea finally returned to the bargaining table after a hiatus of many months. At the same time, he noted, progress has remained slow since the focus of the negotiations has shifted from the discussion of an overall solution toward the more procedural issue of establishing a set of agreed principles to serve as a guide for future rounds of the talks. Hill said he remains confidant that North Korea eventually can be brought in line with the other five principals, through a continuation of the Six-Party Talks, even though sequencing the various parties' reciprocal steps will be a major hurdle. This issue has already emerged, he pointed out, as Pyongyang has publicly stated that it must receive the two light-water reactors stipulated in the 1994 Framework Agreement before it will begin to dismantle its nuclear programs. For its part, the U.S. is insisting that discussion of the issue of the light-water reactors will be possible only after North Korea has completely and verifiably dismantled all of its nuclear programs. Looking beyond the immediate challenges, Hill said that he believes the structure of the Six-Party Talks could form the basis of a future Northeast Asian regional organization. This program was held at Asia Society with both The Korea Society and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations as cosponsors.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

 The Six-Party Peace Talks

with

Christopher Hill
U.S. envoy, Six-Party Talks